Germany – Russia train ferry launched
GERMAN Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, Russian Railways (RZD) president Mr Vladimir Yakunin and German Rail CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube officially launched a new regular train ferry service between the German Baltic port of Sassnitz and Ust Luga, Russia, on June 8.
The 1222km voyage takes around 38 hours. The vessel used for the service, the Petersburg, is owned by Black Sea Ferries & Investments, in which RZD has 51% stake. At 190m in length and 28m-wide, the Petersburg is said to be the largest double-deck train ferry in the world.
In addition to the 49 wagons on the first trip, the Petersburg carried a Lastochka emu for RZD, 38 which are being built at Siemens' Krefeld plant in northwest Germany. At 3.5m wide the vehicles are too large to be moved on the German railway network, so they are being shipped along the Rhine by barge to Amsterdam, where they are transhipped to a coast vessel for the journey to Sassnitz. The trains are being commissioned at Metallostroy depot in St Petersburg, 110km from Ust Luga.
Sassnitz is the only port in Germany capable of handling 1520mm-gauge wagons, and has a 30km broad-gauge network.
GERMAN Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel, Russian Railways (RZD) president Mr Vladimir Yakunin and German Rail CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube officially launched a new regular train ferry service between the German Baltic port of Sassnitz and Ust Luga, Russia, on June 8.
The 1222km voyage takes around 38 hours. The vessel used for the service, the Petersburg, is owned by Black Sea Ferries & Investments, in which RZD has 51% stake. At 190m in length and 28m-wide, the Petersburg is said to be the largest double-deck train ferry in the world.
In addition to the 49 wagons on the first trip, the Petersburg carried a Lastochka emu for RZD, 38 which are being built at Siemens' Krefeld plant in northwest Germany. At 3.5m wide the vehicles are too large to be moved on the German railway network, so they are being shipped along the Rhine by barge to Amsterdam, where they are transhipped to a coast vessel for the journey to Sassnitz. The trains are being commissioned at Metallostroy depot in St Petersburg, 110km from Ust Luga.
Sassnitz is the only port in Germany capable of handling 1520mm-gauge wagons, and has a 30km broad-gauge network.
