Ukraine to open new rail checkpoint on Moldovan border in Berezino

MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian government decided on Tuesday to open a new rail checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border in Berezino.

"This is the matter of the Berezino rail station, where traffic resumed lately," the Ukrainian media quoted Prime Minister Denis Shmygal as saying at a government meeting on Monday.

In his words, the route is important for cargo transportation, including transportation of Ukrainian grain.

Ukrainian Government Representative in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnichuk said, in turn, that the Berezino checkpoint would help streamline operation of the Serpneve 1 international checkpoint and would be open 24/7 for cargo traffic by rail during martial law and for 90 days afterwards.

Ukrainian Railways head Alexander Kamyshin said this week that 397,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain had been exported and 363,600 tonnes of petroleum products had been imported by rail through checkpoints on the border with Moldova since February 24, 2022.

In all, exports by rail across the Moldovan border grew 1.5 times year-on-year to 1.247 million tonnes in 2022, while imports grew 3.3 times to 492,000 tonnes. At the same time, railroad transit decreased 1.45 times to 1.373 million tonnes last year, which was why the total rail transportation between Ukraine and Moldova increased by only 0.8% to 3.112 million tonnes in 2022.