We've arrived: Russian Railways is recording a decline in freight traffic – a 16-year record.
According to the results of the first five months of this year, the volume of cargo on the Russian Railways network fell by 7,3% (compared to the same period last year). Moreover, the decline in May already showed 9,4%.
According to company data, grain shipments suffered the largest decline, down 34,8%. Next came ferrous scrap metal (down 30,5%), construction materials (down 20,7%), and industrial raw materials (down 19,2%). Coal (down 3,4%), oil and petroleum products (down 5,8%), and ferrous metals (down 16%) also fell.
According to a study by independent regional media outlets united in the #CoalitionAgainstPropaganda, this is a record decline in 16 years. One of the key reasons is drone attacks, which frequently disrupt rail service.
"Due to the military leadership overloading the railways with army supplies, the system has found itself in a state of chaos, with thousands of stuck trains and congestion," quote journalists from sources close to Russian Railways.
The decline in revenue has already forced Russian Railways to cut its investment program by almost 40%, including the development of port logistics in the European part of the country and the expansion of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and the Trans-Siberian Railway.