News
Newsfeed
News
Thursday
March 28
Show news feed

Thanks to the discounts on the Russian railway, it will be easier to transport goods from Armenia beyond Ural.

Deputy General Director of Finance and Economy at South Caucasus Railway CJSC, Ilya Kelperis, told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.

He stressed that the beneficial tariffs on transportation will be used not only for separate routes but from door to door to any point in Russia.

In early February discounts were announced (for customers of Armenian railway) for BFI ferry, which provides services to the line between Georgian Poti and Russian Caucasus ports. For this purpose, South Caucasus Railway CJSC obtained a slot charter on the ferry. South Caucasus Railway undertook all the financial risks associated with the ferry.

In late February and early March, the talks with Georgian Railway and parent company of South Caucasus Railway CJSC, Russian Railways JSC, were successfully completed. The talks at the level of Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan, who was on an official visit to Georgia then, were very useful in reaching agreements with Georgian partners, while Russian Railways offered beneficial conditions in the territory of Russia.

Consequently, the through fare from Armenia to the point of destination in Russia will reduce twice on average, both in case of export and import.

The tariffs will now be definitely competitive with the vehicles, Kelperis added. Now 1st class cargo (including construction stones) will be transported from Yerevan to Moscow for $70 per ton, to St Petersburg for $75, Novosibirks—$85, Khbaraovsdk — $110.

“For the same $110, it is possible to deliver the cargo on a vehicle only till Moscow, whereas there are still about 9,000 km from there to Khabarovsk,” Kelperis said.

Together with this, he stressed that the railway trains and cargo trucks can each work in its own niche. Nevertheless, the export of fruit and other products (which constantly grows) can be transported faster by cars (unless there is force majeure in Upper Lars), while the railway can transport more properly sized and dimensional goods: metal, stones, crops, etc.

 “I think, the Armenian exporters of tufa and other cover stone will want to interest constructors not only in Rostov or Moscow, but also beyond Ural,” Kelperis said.

The ferry can work profitably even in case of incomplete loading, he added.  It can sail up 70 percent full, and set out being loaded by only 30 percent. Given the 42 carriage capacity of the ferry and three races per month, this will make up about 12 percent of the commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia, Kelperis noted.

The concession of the Armenian railway (whose operator is the South Caucasus Railway) has been owned by Russian Railways since 2008, while since 2014 it has been the operator of BFI on Poti-Caucasus port line. 

!
This text available in   Հայերեն and Русский
Print
Photos