Since early December, a regular container train has been operating between two terminals of the Riga Free Port – the Riga Universal Terminal (RUT) and the Baltic Container Terminal (BCT), this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The container train between terminals

The train ensures faster and safer container delivery to vessels serviced at the terminals.

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This not only improves cargo turnover within the port but also relieves the terminal infrastructure, port roads, and, importantly for the adjacent areas and residents of Riga, city streets from truck traffic.

The transportation is conducted by the largest private rail freight carrier in the Baltics, Baltijas Ekspresis, in collaboration with port companies Jaunzeltiņi, RUT, and BCT.

The train operates daily. Ansis Zeltiņš, the head of the Riga Free Port, noted that the volume of cargo transported by road to and from the Riga port has significantly increased in recent years.

If five years ago, about 33% of the port’s cargo was transported by road, this volume has now risen to 68%.

Solutions to relieve the city of Riga and the port from growing traffic are also being sought at the national level.

The Riga Free Port administration, together with the Riga City Council, plans to start the transition of local freight transportation from road to rail.

This will make railway infrastructure more efficient, freeing the city of Riga and the port from truck traffic, congestion, and CO2 emissions.

There are also plans to initiate discussions on creating ground logistics hubs in Latvia for consolidating cargo, transferring it from road to rail, and subsequently transporting it to the Riga port.

As previously reported, in October, the first container train with Ukrainian grain arrived at the Riga port.

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