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 2023 amounted to more than 12 million tonnes of cargo. November in particular delivered positive numbers with 14,1 million tonnes in cargo transported. The 23 per cent increase in cargo volumes is largely attributable to the restoration of Ukraine’s maritime export corridor by the country’s military and special forces, according to UZ. Earlier, Russia pulled out of the ‘Grain Deal’, which guaranteed safe passage for ships in the Black Sea up until 17 July.

Better than the Grain Deal

Ukrainian Railways transported 8,8 million tonnes of cargo to Black Sea ports during the first five months of operations of the newly restored corridor, which is 8,6 per cent higher than what was achieved during the same time in 2022 when the ‘Grain Deal’ was still active. In December 2023 alone, 3,8 million tonnes of cargo were delivered to Black Sea ports by the Ukrainian rail operator.

In total, 22,3 million tonnes of cargo were transported through seaports and 34,4 million tonnes through land border crossings in 2023. Domestic transportation reached 84,8 million tonnes, up by 11,4 per cent compared to the previous year.

Notably, Ukrainian Railways saw an increase of 29,6 per cent in freight volumes of construction materials, which reached 29,6 million tonnes. The largest freight category was grain, which grew by 5,9 per cent to a total of 30,6 million tonnes.