Vietnam - Russia railway transport turns a new page

In recent years, in the emerging new geopolitical context, rail freight transport between the two countries has once again taken the lead. Since 2018, the Logistics subsidiary of Russian Railways has cooperated with the Vietnamese warehouse operator Ratraco, implementing freight transport services along the two-way Russia - Vietnam and Vietnam - Russia road transport corridors. This service immediately meets the needs of both Russian and Vietnamese importers and exporters. In order to serve promptly and not miss a step, this spring, the Russian company TransContainer also joined forces to organize the rail transport corridor.

TransContainer is a leader in Eurasian container rail logistics, operating the largest fleet of container trains and freight cars in Russia. The company has accumulated extensive experience in efficient management of the freight cycle on more than 300,000 routes in Russia and abroad, allowing the transportation of containers to any point in Russia, the CIS countries, Europe and Asia.

In the first stage of the new transport corridor, items such as tea, coffee, spices, footwear and clothing will be shipped from Vietnam for sale in the Russian retail network, said Nikita Pushkarev, TransContainer's director for sales and after-sales service. From Hanoi, goods will be transported on standard 1,435 mm wagons, passing through China, and then loaded onto Russian 1,520 mm wagons at the company's own platform at the Zabaikalsk station. The transportation of goods across Vietnam and China will be handled by TransContainer's subsidiary TCFF. Among the advantages of the new route are high transport speeds compared to alternative sea routes through the Russian Far East, which are 5-8 days faster, and optimal cost prices. In addition, the shipment is handled within a unified legal framework, as Vietnam, China and Russia are all members of the international rail freight agreement. In this connection, TransContainer can issue one transport document, the rail waybill, for the entire route.

The transportation time from Hanoi to the outskirts of Moscow, to Elektroygli station, with a total distance of more than 10,000 km, will take about 35 days. TransContainer provides its own equipment and is ready to ensure the storage of goods in warehouses in Vietnam, packing them into containers, as well as customs clearance and international insurance. The goods will arrive from Vietnam to China in batches of 12 40-foot containers, then be assembled in China and sent to Russia by trains with about 50 containers.

Mr. Pushkarev added that it is expected to send at least two container trains per month along this route. At the same time, the parties involved are actively studying transport solutions to regularly bring Russian export shipments of grain, sawn timber and non-hazardous chemicals to Vietnam.

According to VNA