MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. More containerized cargoes started to be carried over the North-South international transport corridor (ITC) and development is impressive this year, CEO of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television.
"Development is very impressive this year. The eastern branch added more than twofold as regards containers; the western branch added 50%," Belozerov said.
"The freight structure is changing but provided discounts and interaction at the level of governments, at the level of railway administrations, provides a very good effect. More containerized cargoes are moving, not the ones traditionally bulk loaded and transshipped in such way, but exactly the ‘corridor’ cargo. This is the cargo with the high added value, which can be loaded into a container," he noted.
Iran is not the final destination in the activity of developing the southern part of the North-South ITC, Belozerov said. Further expansion of the transport corridor includes African countries.
"This is very good development. Furthermore, countries are added, over which such cargo travels. Iran is not the final destination. It goes further, development of the southern part, including Africa, [goes] from the port of Bandar Abbas. That is why we very attentively monitor, make supplemental agreements, set up mechanisms, give discounts not merely railroad ones, but also for the turnover of railcars, for containers. In other words, the work is not simply underway but it is in full swing," Belozerov noted.
The agreement on creation of the North-South ITC was signed in 2000 by Russia, India and Iran. The number of participants expanded later to fourteen. The project goal is to support the freight traffic from India, Iran and Persian Gulf countries to Europe via the Russian territory. The project units at present several transport systems of individual countries.