Second European Games in Belarus
Minsk Railway Station ready for 2nd European Games
MINSK, 5 June (BelTA) – Economy class urban and suburban trains will be used to take fans to sports facilities (Minsk Arena and Rowing Canal) during the 2nd European Games. The timetable has been harmonized with the schedule of sports events. The Minsk Passazhirsky station showed reporters how it will welcome visitors coming for the 2nd European Games, BelTA has learned.
Every day on 22-30 June, 57 trains will be used to transfer passengers to sports venues located along the Minsk-Masyukovshchina-Belarus (Zaslavl) route; 62 trains will take passengers back to the railway station. “Three big sports facilities – Dinamo Stadium, Minsk Arena and Rowing Canal – are located in close vicinity to railway stations. We will deploy nearly two times more trains along this route. The trains will depart every 10-20 minutes,” First Deputy Head of the Belarusian Railways Passenger Service Aleksandr Drozhzha said.
Speaking about railway communication with foreign states, he informed that the most popular destinations are Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Kiev. Trains to Vilnius are also available. Trains between Minsk and Riga will run every day during the 2nd European Games. There are trains bound for Western Europe. When needed, additional coaches might be added to trains. “On 16 June-14 July an additional train service connecting Brest and Warsaw will be in operation,” Aleksandr Drozhzha added.
Fares can be bought at box offices, through self-service terminals and also with the use of cash, smart cards and contactless bank cards on the city rail routes. Contactless payments will be introduced in the run-up to the European Games.
During the 2nd European Games arrival and departure announcements at the Minsk Passazhirsky railway station and Belarus (Zaslavl) station will be made in English. “More than 200 people have undertaken English language crash courses. Special phrasebooks have been made,” Aleksandr Drozhzha said. The Minsk Passazhirsky railway station, railway stations in Brest and Grodno have designated box offices for English-speaking clients.
Head of the Minsk Passazhirsky railway station Viktor Nizokhin said that the station has done great preparatory work for the last year and a half. “We have replaced escalators, air-conditioning, 70 navigation signage means (route indicators, indicator panels), installed new help desks and self-service terminals with a possibility to contact the Belarusian Railway contact center. Wi-fi is free,” he noted.
There is an information center of the European Games in the railway station. Its staff speak English and are ready to provide all necessary information on how to move around the city, use transport, and get to sports facilities. In crowded places (central hall, underpasses) volunteers of the games and Belarusian Railways will stand by and ready to help.
The railway station is completely barrier-free, with tactile tiles and special indicators for the visually impaired. Information plates at each entrance provide contacts of the station services. People with disabilities can request necessary assistance, including a free-of-charge wheelchair to be transported to the train or public transport.
Screens in the waiting area will broadcast competitions and promo videos of the multi-sport forum. The Dortur tourism center of Belarusian Railways will offer up to seven excursions a day during the games. A photo zone will be set up in the hall of the railway station. The first platform of the station underwent an overhaul, receiving a new floor covering, a LED ceiling and an information board.
The hotel of the railway station is currently under renovations. Lifts in the hotel have been equipped with Braille push buttons and the lift doors have been marked with yellow tape for the visually impaired. Once the repairs are over, 29 new rooms will be available at the six-storied hotel.
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