The decision on suburban rail service between Smolensk, Orsha and Vitebsk was made by the Supreme State Council of the Union State
Thursday, 26 February 2026
The Supreme State Council meeting took place today in Moscow. Minister of Transport and Communications Alexei Lyakhnovich participated in the event as part of the Belarusian government delegation.
State Secretary of the Union State Sergei Glazyev reported:
"According to our transport ministries, which have reported on this matter, the organization of rail service will begin in the near future. We hope that Unity Day, which we celebrate in early April, will be marked by the opportunity for residents of the border regions—Smolensk and Vitebsk—to take advantage of this service."
All benefits currently available on passenger rail transport will be retained for all categories of citizens.
As Glazyev noted, fares will be affordable and travel will be comfortable:
"These will be highly comfortable electric trains. They will be faster and cheaper than other modes of transport, including road transport. Three pairs of trains will run daily on each route. If this pilot project proves popular, we will expand service to other neighboring regions of Belarus and constituent entities of the Russian Federation."
