On July 30, the first-ever direct freight train, dubbed the "Slavic Caravan," departed Belarus for Uzbekistan, the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reported.
The train was seen off from the Orsha-Vostochnaya station in the Vitebsk province, chosen as the consolidation point because it receives cargo from across Belarus. The route runs through Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan before reaching Uzbekistan.
The train's cargo includes wood-processing products, animal feed, and food items such as sugar and potato starch, with plans to expand the range of goods transported in the future.
According to Valery Verenich, head of Belarusian Railway (BC), the train will travel to its final destination without being broken up or making additional stops along the way.
"This will cut delivery time nearly in half while ensuring the cargo is reliably protected. The train will run on a fixed schedule, just like a passenger train — so we'll know exactly when it departs and when it arrives at its final destination. Individual 20-ton containers can also be included in the train's makeup, which means smaller Belarusian enterprises won't have to accumulate enough cargo to fill an entire 60-ton railcar — they'll be able to ship smaller batches instead," Verenich explained.
Alexander Rogozhnik, chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, noted that rail delivery is more cost-effective than road transport.
"Shipping a 20-ton container by rail costs at least one and a half times less than by truck. What used to take up to two months for a single railcar shipment will now take this train just five to seven days to reach Uzbekistan," he said.
"This isn't just about shipping our goods — an identical train will be sent back loaded with products from Uzbekistan, ranging from textiles to food products, including fruits that don't grow in Belarus. This cooperation benefits both sides," Rogozhnik added.
He also spoke of plans to visit Uzbekistan and sign a cooperation roadmap with leadership in the Andijan province.
Uzbekistan's newly appointed ambassador, Nuriddin Mamajonov, said that return trains will carry Uzbek melons, dried fruit, and textiles back to Belarus. According to the newspaper Belarus Segodnya (Belarus Today), both sides have expressed willingness to increase the frequency of shipments to four trains per month.
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