Ukraine revives alternative route to Danube ports via Moldova

MOSCOW. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Ukraine and Moldova have revived the Berezino - Bessarabska rail road section that will form part of an alternative to the route from Odesa to the ports of Reni and Izmail, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said.

"Traffic has resumed on the section as part of the ministry's work to increase throughput capacity on Ukraine's western borders with EU countries and Moldova," it said.

Berezino - Bessarabska had not been used since 1997. Goods trains were due to start operating it on August 22.

Cargo volumes along the section "could well be ramped up to 10 million tonnes per year," said Oleksandr Kubrakov, the infrastructure minister.

JSC Ukrzaliznytsia or Ukrainian Railways said the rail road section had been revived on a turn-key basis, with more than 22 km on Ukrainian territory and 1.2 km in Moldova restored.

Ukrainian Railways said in a press release that its "extensive project to develop rail links with European countries is ongoing with the renovation of the Berezino - Bessarabska section in the Odesa region, which has connected Ukraine and Moldova, now complete. The first goods train will be dispatched today."

The infrastructure ministries of both countries signed a memorandum on June 23 to restore freight traffic on this section in the autumn, but this was done ahead of schedule.