Russia’s FESCO Launches New Anhui-Mongolia-Moscow Rail Container Service

Russia’s FESCO Transport Group has launched a new railway container service from China to Moscow in transit through Mongolia. This new route runs from the city of Wuhu, in China’s Anhui Province, (close to Shanghai), which is known for its engineering, automotive, electronics and chemical factories.

The train then travels through northern China, and passes through the Mongolian border crossings at Erlian, in China’s Inner Mongolia, through to Mongolia the country, bisecting Mongolia via Ulaan Baatar and then onto Naushki in Russia’s Buryatia region before proceeding west and arriving at the Bely Rast station in Moscow.

According to FESCO, the first train, comprising of 55, forty-foot containers, loaded with ready-made Chinese cars, set off along the route on March 25. The total journey takes about three weeks.

FESCO stated that “In order to expand the geography of overland services between China and Russia, FESCO Transport Group has launched the first regular container train from the city of Wuhu (Anhui Province) to Moscow via Mongolia.”

At the first stage, the new service plans to organise up to four container trains per month. It is expected that the main range of goods delivered to Russia will be consumer goods, equipment and cars from Anhui Province.

German Maslov, Vice President of the FESCO Line Logistics Division, said that “China’s Wuhu City plays a significant role in the economy of both Anhui Province and China as a whole. It is a well-developed industrial centre, known for its mechanical engineering, automobile, electronics and chemical production. All these factors make the new FESCO rail service in demand among our Chinese and Russian customers, who are focused on rhythmic and direct deliveries of various container cargoes to the Moscow region.”

Due to the differences between Chinese and Russian railway gauges, the service is organised in cooperation with a Chinese platform company, with FESCO being responsible for providing container equipment, fitting platforms and providing transportation for the Russian 1520 gauge.