The millionth, in terms of TEU, container was dispatched from Chongqing’s Tuanjiecun station to Helsinki’s Vuosaari station under the regular container transit service provided by the UTLC ERA JSC, an OSJD affiliated enterprise. The millionth container crossed the Finnish border on 13 December 2021.

Transit containers are usually loaded with assorted goods such as consumer goods, auto parts, point-of-sale equipment, etc.

Having carried one million transit containers in less than a year is the all-time-record for the Russian Railways, way above the planned 2021 number of 850 thousand containers. By the end of the year, the total number of transit containers is expected to reach 1100 thousand TEUs.

The company RZD Logistics notes that in the entire 1520 space, competitive freight rates and delivery periods help the Russian market players to win decent places among the world’s transport companies. Transit transportation of containers across Russia has been growing at an accelerating pace: in the 11 months of 2021, its volume increased by a factor of 1.4. The principle contributors to that growth were the China – Europe – China routes that scored a 43% growth in January – November 2021 in the segment.

Under a comprehensive plan of upgrading and enhancing railway infrastructure approved by the Government of the Russian Federation, the annual volume of container transit is expected to rise to 1.7 million TEUs.