ORSHA, 31 July /Dunyo IA/. Belarusian city of Orsha hosted a ceremony on July 30^th to mark the departure of the first direct “Slavyansky Karavan” freight train on the Orsha–Tashkent route, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Event was attended by Valery Verenich, Director General of the Belarusian Railway State Association, Alexander Rogozhnik, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Leonid Moyzhik, Chairman of the Orsha District Executive Committee, Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Belarus Nuriddin Mamajonov, as well as representatives of the business community.

The first train operating on the new route spanning nearly 4,000 kilometers consists of 71 cars. In total, over 3,840 tons of cargo have been dispatched to Uzbekistan, including wood products, sugar, dairy and oil fat products, livestock feed, chemical goods, and other types of products.

Speakers at the ceremony noted that the “Slavic Caravan” project not only contributes to the formation of a new transport corridor but also plays a vital role in the further development of trade and economic ties between Uzbekistan and Belarus, increasing trade volume and realizing the strategic objectives defined by the leaders of the two states.

As noted by Alexander Rogozhnik, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, this railway route will significantly reduce logistics costs. Specifically, the cost of transporting a 20-ton container will be nearly 1.5 times lower compared to road transport, with cargo delivery times ranging from 5 to 7 days.

According to him, the new route also creates opportunities for regular shipments from Uzbekistan to the Belarusian market of high-demand light industry products, food items, as well as fruits and vegetables.

According to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, at the initial stage, this train is scheduled to operate twice a month.

It is worth recalling that the launch of the first cargo train was carried out as part of the implementation of the agreements reached on July 8-9 during the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Belarus.

Photo by the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan