Deutsche Bahn and Georgian Railways plan Europe to China rail connection
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Georgia's national rail operator have agreed to expand their cooperation activities. An MoU was signed during the visit by Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the Caucasus state covering collaboration on international freight transport and consultancy services for the next five years.
The companies plan to create a new rail connection from China to Europe via central Asia and Georgia, opening up a new route for customers seeking an overland connection.
Ronald Pofalla, Member of the Management Board for Economic, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs at DB said: "We are proud that DB has the chance to contribute to the renaissance and modernization of the ancient communication routes between the continents. With a rail history reaching back to 1871, Georgia has a key role to play in this undertaking."
In another move, DB and Georgian Railways are cooperating on the development of rail freight links between Europe and Iran, with Georgia as a transit country.
Experts at DB's subsidiary DB E&C will provide Georgian Railways with support for organizing and producing rail services, reforming its rail system's structure root-and-branch, and modernizing and maintaining rail technology including the company's fleet of vehicles.
The partnership was agreed by Mamuka Bakhtadze, Chairman of Georgian Railways, and Niko Warbanoff, Head of International Business Development at Deutsche Bahn AG and CEO of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH.
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