A new passenger train schedule will come into effect in Belarus from May 26

22 May, Minsk /Tatsiana Ivaniuk - BELTA/. The new passenger train schedule for 2013-2014 will come into effect in Belarus on 26 May. This was announced today at a briefing by Konstantin Boyar, Deputy Head of the Passenger Transportation Organisation Department of the Passenger Service of Belarusian Railway, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

"The issue of the new schedule is one of the most pressing for Belarusian Railway; traditionally, the schedule is introduced on the last Sunday of May," stated Konstantin Boyar, adding that this process is complex and affects not only the Belarusian railway but also other railway administrations. In this regard, the development of the schedule depends not only on the Belarusian side but also on foreign partners.

The 2013-2014 schedule envisages the preservation of all current international routes, including those to Simferopol, Feodosia, Mariupol, the capitals of neighbouring states, and European countries. In total, 53 pairs of international trains and 32 pairs of interregional trains are planned for Belarusian Railway.

Konstantin Boyar drew attention to the innovations in the schedule. Among other things, the number of trains on the Minsk-Grodno route will be increased to four, considering the popularity of this destination. The travel time between Minsk and Vilnius will be reduced from three to two and a half hours.

According to the press service, from 26 May, changes to the starting stations of departure for some international trains are also planned. In particular, trains No. 140/139 Minsk-Simferopol and No. 384/383 Minsk-Mariupol will now depart from Baranovichi (Brest Region) and run via the capital. Train No. 4/3 Minsk-Moscow will run from Brest, No. 486/485 Minsk-Feodosia from Grodno, No. 494/493 Minsk-Simferopol from Polotsk, and No. 371/372 Minsk-Chernivtsi from Mogilev. These changes are due to planned reconstruction work at the Minsk railway junction, which involves the creation of a modern production and technical base for preparing passenger trains for service in the Degtyarevka area. As before, these routes will pass through Minsk, so there will be no problems with ticket purchases for passengers from the capital in this regard, specialists emphasized.-0-