11 марта 2024 — 14:00
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have reduced the volume of traffic through the Suez Canal, which has increased the demand for freight transportation on Russian railways, Kommersant writes, citing information from the Financial Times newspaper. This will increase the profit of Russian Railways.
Since December, the number of applications for freight transportation by Russian railways has increased by 40%, the German logistics company DHL reported. RailGate Europe reported that demand increased by 25-35%, and according to the Dutch carrier Rail Bridge Cargo, Russian railways have become more popular by 31% compared to last year.
After the attacks by the Yemeni Houthis on merchant ships and ships in the Red Sea, logistics companies began to avoid the Suez Canal and allow transport to bypass Africa, which increased the travel time from Asia to Europe to 50-55 days. By rail through Russia, this journey takes 25-30 days. However, according to the newspaper, the railway's capacity is significantly lower than container ships.
According to the FT, Russian Railways retains an "almost complete monopoly" on transportation in Russia, which means that companies will pay both for the transportation of goods and for access to its network. In February, Russian Railways reported an increase in rail traffic with China by 36% over the year according to the results of 2023. The company explained this dynamic by the active work of railway border crossings