Category: sanctions

LTG Cargo deals with a rising number of attempts to evade sanctions

Attempts to circumvent Western sanctions on Russia and Belarus via rail through Lithuania grew exponentially between March and May. The Lithuanian national rail freight operator LTG Cargo said that four wagons were blocked and sent back at the Lithuanian border in March, while in May this number increased to 62. The company did not provide…

Estonian Operail to be auctioned off and privatised

Operail, the Estonian state-owned rail freight operator, is for sale. On 6 June, the government approved the imminent privatisation of the company. It has struggled to maintain profitability following sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Operail is now being auctioned off completely. The Estonian climate ministry had made a proposal to that end, which the government…

Low freight volumes: Russian Railways loses up to 50 billion rubles

Freight volumes on the Russian rail network keep falling. Russian Railways (RZD) likely incurred a 50 billion ruble loss due to the decline over the first months of 2024. The trend is unlikely to reverse soon. For the past seven months, freight volumes on the Russian rail network have been in decline. According to Forbes.ru,…

Iran and India overcome key hurdle for Chabahar’s INSTC port operation

Iran and India have signed an agreement that will enable the purchase of cargo handling equipment for the port of Chabahar. The port, located in the south of Iran and a key node of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), is operated by India. The question of cargo handling equipment has stalled operations at the…

Russia approves 3,7 trillion ruble Far East rail modernisation

Russia has approved further modernisation works of railway infrastructure in its Far Eastern region. On the 50-year anniversary of the so-called Baikal-Amur line (BAM), the country confirmed that it will be spending 3,7 trillion rubles to boost throughput capacity to 270 million tonnes by 2032. The approved investments are part of the third stage of…

The Middle Corridor remains too expensive as an alternative China-Europe route

The Middle Corridor, a multimodal China-Europe freight route through Central Asia, has garnered international interest as a potential alternative to transporting freight through Russia. Illustratively, the EU has allocated 10 billion euros for its development. The corridor remains too expensive to become a route of preference, explains Roland Verbraak, general manager of BTTMultimodalGroup. BTT, a…

Russia to invest 156 billion rubles for Belarusian rail access to Baltic Sea

Russian Railways (RZD) intends to invest 156 billion rubles (1,5 billion euros) to enable Belarusian exports via the Baltic Sea. EU countries blocked the transit of Belarusian goods through its territories, and now Russia is coming to the aid of its steadfast ally. Additionally, Belarus will gain rail access to a brand new port in…