5 best news for August

Kyiv metro received a new batch of Polish wagons

Kyiv metro received another batch of wagons from Warsaw – 12 units of rolling stock. It is planned to transport 6 more wagons by the end of the month.

This was reported by the press service of the Kyiv City State Administration. Currently, the company’s specialists are studying the previously received wagons. Despite the fact that the rolling stock of the same series, there are many discrepancies, because the operating conditions of trains in the Warsaw and Kyiv metros are significantly different.

The Warsaw Metro transfers to the Kyiv Metro 60 carriages of series No. 81, which have been decommissioned in the Warsaw underground. The resulting rolling stock will be used primarily as a technical donor. Also, thanks to these cars, a reserve of spare parts will be formed for further repairs of the operating trains of the capital metro.

Phased transportation of rolling stock began at the end of April. So far, the company has received 30 wagons out of 60. In total, the delivery of all 10 couplings is planned to be completed by the end of this year.

The Port of Gdansk is preparing to increase the volume of grain transshipment

Within two years, grain transshipment is planned to increase to almost 6 million tons from last year’s 2 million tons. In view of Russia’s withdrawal from the grain initiative and the security situation in the Black Sea, Polish ports are preparing to increase the volume of transshipment of grain cargoes from Ukraine. In particular, we are talking about the port of Gdansk. As TTS writes with reference to Rynek infrastruktury, although the largest grain terminal among Polish seaports is located in Gdynia, the port in Gdańsk also plays a very important role in the transit of Ukrainian grain.

In 2022, grain transshipment in Gdańsk amounted to 2 million tons, which is 19% more than in 2021. In the first two quarters of 2023, 1.4 million tons of grain cargo (mainly corn) was already transshipped in the port. This is a 52% increase compared to the same period last year.

Transshipment is carried out by various operators: GBT/Malteurop, Gdańskie Młyny, Magrol, Port Gdański Eksploatacja, Siark-Port, Speed.

Investments made in Poland’s largest port are aimed at increasing the volume of grain processing to 5.8 million tons per year over the next two years.

According to the Gdansk Port Administration, the weakest link in the transit of Ukrainian grain was the railway. Therefore, 70% of the grain arrives at the port by road transport. Because of this, in preparation for the increase in grain transshipment, the number of places for motor vehicles in the port was increased to 970, although in certain periods the number of cars can reach 1,500 units per day.

It is noted that currently the port operators can service 730 trucks and 80 wagons per day. But they are ready to increase their overloading capabilities. They plan to build permanent and tent warehouses, and also want to implement additional railway investments, thanks to which the throughput capacity of grain terminals in the port of Gdańsk will increase to 485 thousand tons per month against the current 300 thousand tons.

EU increased ice cream output by 5%

In 2022, the European Union increased the production of ice cream by 5% – up to 3.2 billion liters, the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) reported. Germany became the largest producer among the EU countries with a production volume of 620 million liters. France (591 million liters) and Italy (571 million liters) follow.

At the same time, Germany produces the cheapest ice cream: the average price is 1.5 euros per liter. In France, this indicator is equal to 1.9 euros, in Italy – 2.3 euros. The most expensive ice cream is in Austria (€7 per liter), Denmark (€4.4) and Finland (€2.8). Last year, the EU exported 250 million kilograms of ice cream for a total of 930 million euros to non-EU countries, Eurostat also reported. Imports amounted to 61 million kg for 203 million euros. Exports in volume terms decreased by 2%, imports fell by 14%.

WSJ: The European Union is going to admit Ukraine to its membership by 2030

It became known that the European Union (EU) is going to accept Ukraine and the Balkan countries into its membership by 2030. The statement of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is cited by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to him, for now, officials should agree on a target term that will give an opportunity to intensify reforms in the candidate countries. “It’s time to move forward. There is still a lot of work to be done. It will be difficult and sometimes painful, both for the future member states and for the EU,” Michel explained. It is worth noting that today the official candidates for joining the EU are Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

60 billion parcels: China`s shipping service shows impressive growth

China handled more than 60 billion parcels in the first half of the year, up 17 percent from last year. The sector’s turnover is expected to exceed 550 billion yuan (US$76.75 billion), up 11.5% from last year, according to China’s State Post Office. The exact revenue has not yet been disclosed. During the first half of the year, the volume of the sector continued to grow.

In the first quarter, about 26.9 billion parcels were processed, which is 11% more than last year. In the second quarter, about 10 billion parcels were processed every month. The boost in online sales in the first half of the year provided a boost to the parcel delivery industry, especially in mid-June when the online sales promotion coincided with Father’s Day.

The daily volume of parcels in the country from June 16 to 20 amounted to more than 400 million. Cross-border business is also growing rapidly in this sector. In the first quarter, about 630 million parcels were sent for international transportation, which is 46.8% more year-on-year. The introduction of technology has improved the quality of service in this sector. The use of unmanned vehicles in various scenarios has increased delivery efficiency and reduced cost, such as unmanned cold chain vehicles and home delivery robots. In recent decades, the parcel delivery sector in China has developed rapidly. Last year, the volume of express delivery in China reached more than 110.6 billion, which is the highest indicator in the world – in 2013, they were 9.2 billion.