Nov. 14 -The first trial train with containers from China arrived on Monday, Nov. 13, at the cargo port in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The train’s 11,000-km journey from the Chinese city of Dalian, via Russia and Ukraine lasted 17 days. The train was welcomed by Transport Minister Arpád Érsek, State Secretary for Finance and Government Envoy for the Silk Road initiative Dana Meager, and Chinese Ambassador to Slovakia Lin Lin. The number of such trains should gradually increase and next year their number might be as high as 500.
“The fact that goods travelling across Asia will be transported via the territory of Slovakia in order to get farther into Europe is a huge success and an excellent commercial opportunity,” said Minister Érsek, endorsing the idea of Bratislava becoming a key rail freight hub for Europe. “The transport capacities of Slovakia are today far from being fully utilized. I firmly believe that we are only at the beginning of successful cooperation,” he said.