In 2020, the Railways of Azerbaijan celebrate their 140^th anniversary. This anniversary is an important event not only for the railway, but also for the Republic of Azerbaijan and the entire region as a whole, because it was the construction of the railway that gave an additional powerful impetus to economic development.

Session XLVIII of the OSJD Ministerial Conference was held from 28 till 30 September 2020 in a videoconference format with the participation of the delegations of the OSJD Ministerial Conference members from the following OSJD member countries:

Meeting XXXV of the Conference of General Directors (Authorized Representatives) of OSJD Railways, organised by the OSJD Committee, took place in the period from 14 till 16 September 2020 in a videoconference format with the participation of General Directors and Authorised Representatives from the following OSJD railways:

Over the past few years, the Lithuanian Railways’ structure (Lietuvos Geleźinkeliai) has undergone the greatest changes: the company, composed of a group of subsidiary enterprises has become more open, transparent and effectively functioning in the interests of the Lithuanian state. More recently, the structure of the group has also changed: passenger transportation, freight and infrastructure companies have been established, which are united by efficiency, responsibility, insight and leadership.

The Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov attended the signing of a contract, which took place on 21 May 2020, between the management board of BDZ and Siemens Tron for the supply of 10 new electric locomotives.

On 14 May 2020 the first ever transportation of semitrailers in a freight train on the route Germany – Poland – Lithuania was organised by the Lithuanian Railways (LG Cargo¹) and Polish State Railways (PKP Cargo) using CargoBeamer technology (for more details about this technology please see OSJD Bulletin number 1-2019, pp. 26-31).

The Uzbekiston Temir Yullari JSC and Transmashholding JSC (TMH, the largest Russian manufacturer of railway equipment) signed an agreement for the construction and supply in 2020 of five main-line AC freight electric locomotives of 3ES5K series for the needs of the railways of Uzbekistan.

During the period of restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for the transportation of goods by rail is growing both throughout the Eurasian space and in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well, in particular, where timely and uninterrupted delivery of goods is ensured thanks to the efficient, stable and uninterrupted operation of railway transport.

On 19 June 2020, an agreement was signed in Minsk between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on the mutual recognition of visas issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons on the territory of these states. The document was signed by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries Vladimir Makei and Sergey Lavrov.

On 21 June 2020 a solemn ceremony was held at the railway station Svetlogorsk on Berezina to open the regular passenger service of electric trains on the Svetlogorsk – Zhlobin – Minsk route with the participation of President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

During the ceremony, Head of the Byelorussian Railway Vladimir Morozov informed President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko about “The development of the Byelorussian Railway and prospects of its electrification”.