Berlin-Kaliningrad train to start running on December 15

A direct rail service for passengers traveling between Kaliningrad and Berlin will open on December 15. This was announced today by Mikhail Savin, head of the passenger service department of the Kaliningrad Railways.

This agreement was reached in August when President of Russian Railways Gennady Fadeyev met his German, Polish and Belarussian counterparts in Warsaw. The agreement was confirmed at a recent meeting in Yekaterinburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, when the heads of the two national railways both signed a special memorandum.

Mr Savin said preparation work is still going on. Russia has agreed to cover all the costs involved in establishing the international railway service, estimated at USD 6.13 million. The train is expected to consist of three passenger carriages, two of which will go as far a Gdinya while the third will go as far as Berlin. The train is expected to run twice a week, leaving Kaliningrad in the evening and reaching the German capital early the following morning. If there is sufficient demand the train will run more often and more carriages will be made available.