Ruscon is now using its own flat-car wagons to transport about 800 x 40ft containers per month from the Ust-Luga Container Terminal (ULCT) to Nizhniy Novgorod where the Russian motor manufacturer GAZ has started building Chevrolet Aveo cars on behalf of GM.
Ruscon is a logistics and intermodal operator, being part of the GCS transportation group.
The service is being launched to serve the needs of General Motors (GM) Korea, which signed a contract in February 2011 with the Russian motor manufacturer GAZ to assemble its Chevrolet Aveo subcompact city car. However GCS is also offering capacity on the trains to third parties including carriers and shippers who route cargo via Ust-Luga.
Production of the Chevrolet Aveo began in December this year and the manufacturer is planning to assemble some 32,000 cars per annum.
Ruscon loaded two pilot trains at ULCT in the beginning of December, transporting CKD parts that were shipped by GM Korea. In total 118 containers were delivered to the new assembly plant in Nizhniy Novgorod. 54x40ft and 2x20ft containers were carried on the first train and 60x40ft and 2x20ft containers on the second.
Ruscon uses its own flat-car wagons to form the trains and recently set up its own office in Ust-Luga. In addition to railway transportation, Ruscon is arranging port and customs transit formalities for this project while ocean transportation to ULCT is arranged by Maersk Line.
The regular service starts this month (January) and volumes will build to around 800x40ft containers per month.
Ruscon is 100% owned by GCS and performs all container transportation services within the group, outside of liner agency, customs clearance, LCL and stevedoring.
