RZD continues offering discounts on the INSTC and other routes
Russian state-owned railway company RZD introduces another round of discounts along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The company established an 8,9 per cent discount on grain transport along the corridor, which will apply for...Read more
China-Russia electric car transport volumes increasingly turn to rail
This year seems to be the year of rail for electric vehicle (EV) transport between China and Russia. The Russian Federal Customs Office revealed that Russian electric vehicle imports increased by 250 per cent in...Read more
Vietnam and Russia want to bring rail freight volumes back to pre-2022
Delegates from Russia, China, and Vietnam met to discuss the development of rail freight connectivity between them. Since 2022, in fact, containers moved by rail on the Hanoi-Moscow axis have been dropping significantly.Read more
LTG Cargo suspends luxury cars re-export amid fear of sanction violation
Lithuania’s national rail freight company LTG Cargo will stop re-exporting luxury cars to third countries from 1 December. From now until then, these services will be subject to enhanced checks. The decision was taken among...Read more
Russia is building a railway to Crimea through Ukraine
Russia is building a railway that will connect Rostov-on-Don, near the Ukrainian border, with the Crimea region, which the country annexed to its territory in 2014. The line is expected to pass through some of...Read more
Russian rail freight sector grows steadily this year
The Russian rail freight sector is steadily growing this year thanks to its almost complete re-orientation in the Eastern direction and the ongoing adaptation of Russian economics from the sanctions and their consequences.Read more
Iran and Russia want to invest 36 billion euros in the INSTC
Iran and Russia claim to be ready to invest around 36 billion euros in the development of trans-Caspain lines along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Concerning Iranian investments mentioned on rail freight, they include...Read more
China-Russia bridge now open for Russian container trains
The Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway bridge, connecting China and Russia in the Far East, is now open to container trains coming from Russia. On the Russian side, the bridge had so far been used for transporting bulk...Read more
China’s BRI plans signal a renewed opportunity for the Silk Road
ANALYSISThe Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held last week in Beijing, functioned as a platform for China to communicate its BRI and Silk Road aspirations. Multiple mentions of railway development and the...Read more
Russia-China rail freight volumes keep skyrocketing
Rail freight volumes between China and Russia are continuing to increase. Over the first nine months of 2023, more than 128 million tons were transported via rail between the two countries. This signals a 51.5...Read more
BAM and Trans-Siberian expansion accelerates despite sanction impact
RZD is preparing to launch the third stage of modernisation for the BAM and Trans-Siberian routes, the world’s longest rail lines. In 2024, RZD will complete the second expansion stage of the Eastern Railways range,...Read more
North Korea-Russia rail activity increases rekindling cargo concerns
Increased activity in the Tumangang rail facility on the border between North Korea and Russia is once again concerning experts. The possibility of ammunition being transported between the two countries is not verified. However, the...Read more
‘Stranded containers in Russia could disrupt China-Russia supply chain’
Around 150,000 surplus containers are stranded in Russia due to trade volume imbalances, according to container logistics monitoring platform Container xChange. The imbalance is supposedly caused by the rise of imports from China and the...Read more
Russian Railways starts tests for high-speed freight train
Russian Railways (RZD) and Russian Post are cooperating to test a high-speed freight train. The first convoy left Vorsino, 100 kilometres south of Moscow, and headed towards the port of Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea....Read more
Belarusian rail workers highly concerned over Russian influence
In a meeting held this week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russia’s Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko discussed constructing a second railway line connecting Belarus with the Russian port of St. Petersburg. For them, such...Read more
Another sanction measure could impact westbound Silk Road volumes
A new sanction measure, which will take effect at the end of this month, could impact China-Europe volumes. Starting 30 September, the import of certain Russian iron and steel products processed in a third country...Read more
Webinar recap: three updates for the Silk Road situation
War in Ukraine has made the transit route via Russia a delicate choice. Legal-wise, most of the products can still be transhipped via rail crossing Russia; in practice, European companies remain critical and hesitant to...Read more
Sanctions choke Russian project cargo market, rail as an alternative
The Russian market of project cargo transportation is undergoing a painful transformation amid the ever-tightening sanctions on the country and its growing isolation in the international arena. Shippers must deal with a completely changed supply...Read more
Kazakhstan takes actions to increase Caspian Sea capacity
Two Kazakh ports, Aktau and Kuryk, have become significantly important for intermodal traffic via the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan’s railway network. However, they still face substantial challenges, namely the port infrastructure and the declining Caspian...Read more