Ukraine has joined the Transcaspian international transport route and agreed to reduce tariffs on transportation of containers on the so-called new Silk Road, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, Director for Freight Transport and Logistics at PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia Ivan Fedorko signed the relevant protocol in Tbilisi on May 17.

"An agreement has been made to reduce the transportation rate $5,559 to $3,980 per 40-foot container from Izov to the border with China (Dostyk). We are working to making (transportation costs of) the Silk Road. We will succeed!" he wrote.

As reported, the Ministry of Infrastructure jointly with Ukrzaliznytsia on January 15, 2016 launched a trial run of a container train on the new Silk Road.

Fedorko stated Ukraine's accession to the Transcaspian international transport route requires the stable running of a freight train on the new Silk Road, as well as the development of a single through rate.