A train loaded with grain from Ukraine arrived in Spain as part of a pilot project. The Spanish Transport Ministry said today that the project has examined the technical and economic possibilities of transporting grain from Ukraine by rail as a complement to the sea route.
A freight train operated by the Spanish state railway company Renfe left Madrid on August 9 for the Polish city of Chelm, close to the Ukrainian border. The train, containing 25 containers, each 12 meters long, was loaded with 600 tonnes of Ukrainian grain before starting the 2,400 kilometer return journey.
After stopovers in Lodz, central Poland, and Duisburg, he arrived in Barcelona on Thursday evening, according to the Spanish Transport Ministry. The pilot project showed that long-distance rail transport under current conditions and in the context of the war in Ukraine “requires great efforts in the coordination of various actors involved in the process”.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the UN and Turkey, signed an agreement to release millions of tons of grain from Ukrainian ports previously blocked by Russia. Since then, dozens of ships with grain on board have left Ukrainian Black Sea ports.