Railroad ferry link between Russia, Georgia opens Wednesday

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
March 23, 2005

MOSCOW, Mar 23 (Prime-Tass) — The opening of the railroad ferry
link between Russia’s Kavkaz seaport in the Krasnodar Region and
Georgia’s Poti seaport opened Wednesday, the press service of Russian
Transportation Ministry said.

Two trial voyages were expected to be made, the press service said.

The press service said that on Wednesday the first ferry carrying 18
railway cars loaded with grain to Armenia is expected to sail from
Kavkaz to Poti. The ferry is expected to return in five days with
railway cars loaded with manganese ore.

The second ferry passage, which will also carry railway cars loaded
with grain, is scheduled for the beginning of next week.

The agreement on opening the railroad ferry link was signed on
January 10.

The land-based railroad link between Russia and Georgia was cut in
August 1992 after the breakout of an armed conflict in Georgia’s
breakaway republic of Abkhazia. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asian
states may also use the Poti-Kavkaz route. End