Business news

MINSK, 5 February (BelTA) – Belarusian Railways and their Polish counterparts are working to increase the popularity of the Minsk-Warsaw train service operated by Belarusian Railways, first deputy head of the passenger service of Belarusian Railways Andrei Kashko told reporters on 5 February, BelTA has learned.

He noted that talks had recently been held between representatives of Belarusian Railways, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development of Poland and railway services of Poland. “We have agreed to work on the matter until May. After that we will decide what to do about it. We will try to optimize this train service and increase passenger numbers,” the specialist noted.

Andrei Kashko believes that the partners will use the same marketing solutions as have already been implemented together with Russian Railways. Those are discounts and promo campaigns. These efforts will allow making travelling by the Minsk-Warsaw train more affordable.

According to the data provided by Andrei Kashko, the occupancy rate of the train going from Minsk to Warsaw made up about 50% on average in 2014. In the autumn, when the euro exchange rate started climbing, the railway operator reported a decline in passenger numbers. “The train occupancy rate dropped down to 35%. Now we are monitoring every train. The passenger numbers are expected to go up after the slowdown in January,” he noted.

Mass media reported earlier that Belarus and Poland were considering a possibility to stop operating the Minsk-Warsaw train.