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Lukashenka praises progress of construction of Belarusian-Swiss train plant near Minsk

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Thursday expressed a high opinion of the progress of the construction of a Belarusian-Swiss train plant near Minsk.

The plant, which will assemble trains and urban electric passenger vehicles, has been built by Belarus’ AAT Belkamunmash and Switzerland’s Stadler Rail Group in the city of Fanipal.

While meeting with Peter Spuhler, the owner and CEO of Stadler Rail Group, in Minsk, Mr. Lukashenka said that he had not expected Belarus and the Swiss company to agree on the project and get down to construction work as quickly as they did, according to the presidential press office.

He stressed that the project had a great importance both for boosting Belarus' exports and satisfying domestic needs.

Mr. Lukashenka said that he expected the first train to roll off the plant's assembly line as early as this year.

"As far as I know the plant is being built at a normal pace," he said, urging Mr. Spuhler to contact him "if any issues arise." "I have taken the plant construction under my personal control," he was quoted as saying.

The Swiss executive, for his part, expressed certainty that the facility would be completed by this October or November.

The plant is facing the task of starting supplying bilevel rail cars to Russian Railroads by December 2014 under a contract that it has won against international competition, according to Mr. Spuhler. //BelaPAN