INTERCONTAINER CONSIDERS BACKING TRANS-SIBERIAN ROUTE

INTERCONTAINER CONSIDERS BACKING TRANS-SIBERIAN ROUTE    Intercontainer-Interfrigo and railway companies from the former Soviet Union are working on reviving the trans-Siberian rail landbridge for traffic from Japan and South Korea to Europe, the Swiss intermodal operator said.
   The trans-Siberian rail landbridge, once a significant competitor for Asia/Europe all-water liner services, has been virtually extinct in the last few years.
   However, Intercontainer-Interfrigo said that it intends to run pilot services on this route before the end of the year via Vladivostock, the Russian Pacific port near the Vostochny terminal, and Brest/Malaszewicze, the European rail terminal on the Belarus/Poland border.
   The Swiss intermodal operator said that it aims to offer “rail transit times more attractive than the maritime alternative.”
   “In spite of the commercial and operational difficulties that still exist, the objective is to place a regular service in operation in conjunction with the railways concerned,” Intercontainer-Interfrigo said.
   The Intercontainer-Interfrigo initiative is believed to be the first attempt to resurrect the trans-Siberian rail landbridge since Sea-Land Service worked with the Russian rail authorities in the early 1990s.