By the end of the first four months of 2024, the volume of grain, fertilizers, and container cargo loading reached new record levels since the beginning of the operation of Russian Railways (RZD).
An official statement about the achievement of record volumes of container freight was made by RZD representatives in the company’s Telegram channel, citing the deputy head of the company.
According to the report for January–April, around 2.6 million loaded and empty Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) were transported, including exports, imports, and transit, which is 9.4% more than in the same period of the previous year. The total volume of goods transported in containers amounted to 26.8 million tons (+8.9%). Chemicals and soda, timber, as well as chemical and mineral fertilizers continue to be the leading types of cargo in terms of transport volumes.
The report also notes that one of the methods of optimal use of the railway lines’ capacity is the formation of full freight trains from wagons with increased carrying capacity.
It is also worth noting that in 2023, a record number of container shipments was set – over 7.4 million TEUs (+14% compared to 2021). In 2022, the volume of container transport on the RZD network was 6.5 million TEUs.
In October of last year, Alexey Shilo stated that the current fleet of flatcars for container transport on the RZD network is sufficient to export 730,000 TEUs monthly, which amounts to 8.8 million TEUs annually. The company also forecasts a 11% growth in transport volume in 2024, for which the existing fleet is expected to be sufficient.