Rail freight movement launched between Russia and N Korea

RAJIN, North Korea, October 12 (Itar-Tass) - A demo train driven by
railroad engineers of Russia's Far Eastern Railway along the rail section
of the Trans-Korean Railway has arrived in North Korea's Rajin.
"The two countries for the first time launched the rail freight
movement," the first deputy director-general of the Russian-North Korean
joint venture RasonKonTrans, Vladimir Parkhomenko, told Itar-Tass on
Wednesday.
On Thursday, the train will reach the border station of Tumangan in
North Korea, where Russian and North Korean railway specialists and
journalists will gather.
The Russian delegation will be led by Valery Reshetnikov, Senior
Vice-President of the Russian Railways Company (RZD).
The launch of the demo train is timed to coincide with the 63d
anniversary of the Russian-North Korean diplomatic relations.
At present, Russia and North Korea are implementing the Khasan-Rajin
pilot project that includes the reconstruction of a 52 kilometre rail
section, the construction of a container terminal in the port of Rajin and
the operation of the yet-to-be-created infrastructure.
In October 2008 North Korea's station of Tumangan on the border with
Russia hosted a rail-laying ceremony of the modernized railway section
running to North Korea's Rajin. Experts say this non-freezing port has
developed infrastructure, ensures high security of freighters and provides
privileges to entrepreneurs. Thanks to its geographic location the port
can be used by Russian, South Korean, Chinese and Japanese companies.
In general, the reconstruction of the Trans-Korean Railway will allow
cargo trains to run at high speed from Rajin to Khasan and along the
Trans-Siberian Railway.
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