Estonian Operail announces full privatisation in order to save itself

Estonian national rail operator Operail has announced a new business strategy that involves full privatisation. The privatisation is a necessary step to find additional financial sources. According to the company, privatisation will also enable the expansion of operations into foreign markets. Operail has been struggling financially after the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. […]

Russia and China see record rail freight volumes in 2023

Russia and China have reached a new record rail freight volume between the two countries. The total freight volume going through Russia’s Far East border crossings grew by 26 per cent from 2022, amounting to nearly 44 million tonnes. This number includes traffic to and from Mongolia. The total freight volume among all transport modalities […]

Estonian Railways’ losses expected to worsen in the coming years

The losses of Estonian Railways are expected to continue and worsen in the coming years. Earlier, Estonia reported a decline of 43 per cent in freight volumes following sanctions on Russian goods. The loss of freight volumes has led to passenger transportation exceeding freight transportation, according to Estonian Railways’ commercial manager Arthur Raichmann. Whereas 9,5 […]

Rail freight volumes between China and Kazakhstan reach record high

Rail freight volumes between China and Kazakhstan have reached a new record in 2023. Volumes grew by 22 per cent in comparison to the previous year. In total, volumes amounted to 28 million tonnes. Representatives of Chinese and Kazakh rail operators presented the new rail freight numbers at a meeting in the Chinese province of […]

Ukraine records rail freight growth thanks to sea corridor restoration

Ukrainian Railways (UZ) transported 148,4 million tonnes of cargo during 2023. Between March and December, monthly cargo volumes were 23 per cent higher on average than the previous year. The Ukrainian rail operator attributes freight volume growth to the restoration of the sea corridor in the Black Sea. The monthly average over the entirety of […]