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Challenging situations always bring people together. The recent pandemic led not only to closed borders and lockdowns but also to reminders of how important it is to support and help others, no matter the circumstances.
In May 2020, at the initiative of the Chinese government, 48 wagons filled with personal protective equipment were delivered to Serbia for health workers. 300 tons of this emergency gear were sent for delivery from the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Railway operators in Wuhan turned to the AsstrA corporate group with a request for last-mile delivery. The result was a train with medical equipment transiting through the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The AsstrA corporate group successfully handled this “last mile” delivery of containers of medical and non-medical masks, protective suits and non-contact thermometers from Hungary to Serbia.
“The platform of the Belgrade railway terminal is shorter than the one in Wuhan, where the shipment originated. Therefore, the Serbian terminal could not accommodate a train with 48 container wagons,” says Vladislav Martin, China Rail Division Specialist at AsstrA.
At the Hungarian Metrans terminal, 8 wagons were unhooked from the train and loaded onto container carrier trucks. The AsstrA team ensured that all the containers successfully reached their final destination in Celebia, a Serbian village.
“The project was implemented with the agreement of top officials from Serbia and China. For prompt delivery, a "green corridor" was opened. Now Serbia has stockpiled medical products for the second wave of COVID-19. The AsstrA team is glad to have been a part of this international project that has helped fight the spread of the coronavirus, says Vladislav Martin.