Belarusian-Polish cooperation plans may input to the development of polish province towns

According to the general logistical plan that is being developed at the moment, Elblag might witness a construction of a Belarusian port and the wheel changing procedure for railway trains from wider tracks to European type will be made in Belostok.

Podlesie Katy in Poland is interested in implementing a project related to construction of a Belarusian port complex in Elblag. This idea was discussed at a meeting of the International Polish-Belarusian commission in Liublin on 28 November.

In June this year the Council of the Sea Port of Elblag proposed to Belarus via the Belarusian consulate in Belostok to use the Port’s territory for the needs of foreign trade.

This proposal was made based on the necessity to provide the sufficient number of cargo shipments for the future sea port that will become a reality in Elblag after the construction of a channel via Zalew Wislany in 2013. The new port is planned to be build based on the Ukrainian and Belarusian capital and de facto there would be new autonomous terminals to be used by partners from Belarus and Ukraine.

The Belarusian Consul, Mikhail Aliakseichik, has forwarded this proposal to Minsk. The First Vice Minister of Transport of Belarus, Mikalai Verkhavets, responsible for maritime affairs was interested in the project. It is possible that Elblag might become the second ‘window into the world’ after Klaipeda.

The drafters of the project claim that it is profitable for Belarus to construct in Elblag due to the fact that the construction of the port there will be started virtually from a scratch and therefore it will be suitable for the needs of investors. There are quite a few free port territories in Elblag. It is estimated that it may have the capacity for around 2 million tones of Belarusian goods. The latter would mostly include potash fertilizers, tractors, forestry goods, buses as well as agricultural goods.

The project is not about the construction of yet another huge port similar to the ones in Gdansk or Gdynia. Belarus would be satisfied with smaller ships.

The “Elblag Gazeta” reports that the world’s financial crisis that still has not touched Belarus might contribute to the implementation of the project. The crisis might turn the Western investors to the idea of moving their activities to Nieman and Bug Rivers in order to reduce the costs.

The construction of the channel via Zalew Wislany as well as the construction of a Belarusian terminal might become an impulse for modernization of the railroad in Mazury and Podliasie and also for creation of a new transport corridor. This perspective is definitely motivating the Podliasie authorities to support the construction of the channel. The new corridor would connect Elblag and Belostok where it would split in three destinations: to Grodno, to Volkovysk and to Brest.

The heads of the Polish Railroad believe that incase of implementation of the Elblag-Belarusian plans, one should also think about the construction of the wider railroad tracks from the border in Babrouniki to Belostok, which is 40 kilometres away.

It is not complicated. The new, wider tracks would be build in place of the existing though not used tracks that are typical for Poland. In that case Belastok would become a place for changing the wheels on the trains.

Representatives of the railroad as well as representatives of Podliasie local authorities believe that would be a great chance for development of Belostok, which could become a direct link with Minsk, Moscow and the railroad system of entire post-soviet region. There are also plans to set up passenger routs Gdynia – Minsk, via Elblag, Olshtyn, Belastok and Baranavichi.

The construction of such logistical centres at the points where the wide and the European railroad tracks meet seems to be a very attractive idea that could bring good money.

The implementation of these projects would mean that Podliasie stopped being the railroad province.

Galina Haladok