CARGO BUSINESS 1-10.indd - ZSSK Cargo

Interview with the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the
subsidiary of Russian Railways – company TransContainer - Slovakia, a. s.,
Ing. Jiří Pokorný, CSc.
TransContainer is a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RŽD) and from our
point of view, it is a big company with a strong background and with
a market share in Russia of 67%, which employs 5 thousand people
and owns 47 container terminals. Why did TransContainer choose
Dobrá, or Slovakia as its gateway to Europe
-TransContainer Moscow decided to rent a terminal in the east of
Slovakia after a thorough analysis of technical and technological
conditions of combined transport terminal Dobrá as well as after
marketing analysis of flows of goods, which can be provided through
re intermodálne prepravy
the terminal. Here it should be mentioned that all decisions were made
in the period when the crisis was only whispered about. TransContainer
chose combined transport terminal Dobrá as its “gateway to Europe”
in accordance with the concept and strategy of the company – in order
to make the Trans-Siberian railway less overloaded and to ensure
development of intermodal transport in connection with individual
railways of CIS countries and countries of the European Union.
In November, the first train from China to Europe was transhipped
in combined transport terminal Dobrá, since the operation of
TransContainer in Slovakia, i.e. from the summer of last year. How
many trains or wagons from China have you transhipped so far (to the
beginning of February – editor´s note) Where did these trains come
from and what was their destination station Can we say that these
transportations are becoming regular
- Up to now, 7 trains have been transhipped in total. Of these, 6 trains
with monitors to Poland and the 1 train with magnesite, heading to
Austria. These trains transported 149 pieces of large-capacity 40-foot
containers and 68 pieces of large-capacity 20-foot containers. We
are talking about 122 broad-gauge wagons. All trains ran from China,
while a part of containers came from South Korea to China by sea.
Complete train was always dispatched to the broad gauge from the
station Zabajkalsk, which is at Chinese – Russian border and where the
combined transport terminal of company TransContainer is located.
I expect and believe that these trains will gradually run on a regular
basis.
In addition to transportations from China to Europe, using the Trans-
Siberian railway, TransContainer also offers transportation from China
to Russia in combination with sea transport through the Adriatic ports.
The so-called Pan-European railway corridor V should be used. One of
its branches crosses Slovakia from Bratislava to Čierna nad Tisou. Why
is this route interesting to customers, or why is more suitable than the
route by the Trans-Siberian railway Are there any transportations
expected any time soon
- When making a selection, TransContainer was considering all
possibilities for acquiring and using the flows of goods. One of
these flows of goods came from the Adriatic ports, where certain
transportations of goods in containers from overloaded Trans-Siberian
railway should have been directed to. It is obvious that creation of routes
of combined transport from the EU via combined transport terminal in
Dobrá to Moscow, with subsequent connection to rail tracks of individual
CIS countries or with connections to the Trans-Siberian railway would
make an excellent and fast connection of Europe to the markets of the
Russian Federation and CIS countries. Specific transportations can
already be expected, however it is still very early to talk about them also
due to difficult negotiations caused by the crisis.
Has the company TransContainer managed to acquire or build its base
in Slovakia What did you experience
- TransContainer - Slovakia has established its base in Košice and at
the border with Ukraine. Our experiences with setting up a company
were diverse. All those obstacles our staff had to overcome, working
hard, may be over. It was difficult and demanding also because the
business environment in the Slovak Republic has not created necessary
conditions for development and in many cases bureaucrats make the
process slow and inflexible. Currently, we are completing the basic
structure of TransContainer – Slovakia and depending on the increase
in volumes of transportations we will continue to develop it even further.
I must also say that there were and there are a lot of people around
me who have been helping me and without them some things could
not have been accomplished. I would like to use this opportunity to say
thank you to all of them.
You have been working in railways for a long time and have lots of
experience in intermodal transport. How and why did you accept the
challenge to work for the Russian company
- An offer to work for TransContainer was a huge challenge for me,
a challenge to build and develop intermodal transportations for the
benefit of the Slovak Republic. It was also a challenge to show that
apart from conventional transportations, company ZSSK CARGO is
able to develop intermodal transportation and, of course, I also wanted
to prove that I am not that old and people can still rely on me. As we
mentioned in the beginning of this interview, TransContainer is a very
strong company and being accepted in the “big family” means that the
company appreciates my activities in the field of intermodal transport,
in rail transport and that it also has confidence in my managerial and
professional skills. On the other hand, it is another stimulus for me to
acquire new knowledge and international experience, it is in some way
an added value I can build upon and develop on a professional basis.
How would you describe the cooperation with ZSSK CARGO, which
signed an agreement on rental of combined transport terminal in
Dobrá with company TransContainer Today you are in position of
the customer, or partner of ZSSK CARGO. Has this somehow changed
your opinion on services provided by the state-owned carrier Are
you are satisfied with mutual cooperation or would you suggest any
improvements
- My former colleagues still work in ZSSK CARGO. Together, we have
been seeking solutions and developing various systems and activities
that I was once involved in. We remain colleagues, but the difference
is obvious – we work for two different organizations. It is obvious that
problems sometimes arise and will certainly be arising. But if I can find
skilled employees in ZSSK CARGO, whose aim is to tackle problems
for the benefit of the customer and development of transport, I will be
pleased. Anyone who knows me certainly knows that I have never been
afraid of criticism or discussion. Of course, my “customer” opinions may
sounds demanding, but in order to find a solution, it is enough for both
parties to keep their word and accept a helping hand.
Ladislav JANDOŠEK
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