A pilot intermodal container transportation from the Port of Ningbo in China through the Port of Vladivostok in Russia to the Kolyadichi station in Belarus was carried out on September 3 as part of the INTERTRAN project.
This transportation became the first completely digitalized transit container shipment between Asia and Europe arranged by Russian Railways, Belarusian Railway and FESCO Transportation Group.
In a statement, Russian Railways said INTERTRAN technology has already been replicated throughout the Russian Railways network, and over 6,000 containers have been transported with this service.
It said the service reduced the time required for processing freight documents by four days. It was the use of solely electronic transport documents, transit declarations and electronic customs clearance that made it possible.
"The positive effects of the INTERTRAN project were particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic because digital processing reduced physical contacts during transportation to a minimum," it added.
The INTERTRAN project was presented at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum in September 2019.
The electronic system is designed to develop intermodal transportation in Eurasia, reduce paperwork, and accelerate interactions between all parties in the transportation process. These shipments are being carried out on a regular basis from Japan, China, and South Korea.
