Together with its partners LDZ Cargo, LTG Cargo, HHLA TK Estonia, and Kaunas Intermodal Terminal, the Estonian Operail has dispatched the first Muuga-Kaunas train.

"We'll see how the loading of goods, border operations and the exchanging of documents and data function. This time, we moved from roads to rails some timber material, peat and construction foam, which we are transporting for our clients to Lithuania," Raul Toomsalu, Operail's CEO, highlighted.

In Kaunas, trailers were transhipped onto a standard-gauge train heading westward. One of the trail's customers, DB Schenker, had shipments destined for France and the Netherlands.

The trail Amber Train was reloaded in Kaunas for its backhaul to Muuga.

Janek Saareoks, Managing Director at DB Schenker responsible for the Baltics, said, "Our ambition is to create a regular and busy transport corridor to Central Europe and back to Estonia. A train is a considerably more environmentally friendly means of transport, and furthermore, the new solution will help to alleviate the problems created by the chronic lack of truck drivers in the sector."

Toomsalu added, "Rail transport burns 4 times less fuel, emits 6 times less CO2 and is 28 times safer than road transport. For example, the Amber Train improves traffic safety on the Tallinn-Pärnu highway. It helps to remove over 7,500 trucks from the roads every year."

The new instalment of the Amber Train is set to become a regular, twice-a-week service. Though, the exact date of that is unknown.

Riina Sikkut, Estonia's Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, underlined, "The Amber Train creates a connection between Northern and Western Europe. It provides an additional opportunity to develop freight transport that does not depend on Russia."

The previous Amber Train, set up in 2018, connected Šestokai, Riga, and Tallinn.

Photo: Operail