17 января 2024 — 16:00
Since January 1, the Baltic countries have raised tariffs for the services of their railway operator. As a result, the cost of transit cargo transportation for the Kaliningrad region immediately increased by 61 percent for certain types of goods. Residents of the region are preparing for another price spike. The authorities see the solution to the problem in the maximum containerization of goods, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.
It is noted that the rates for domestic rail transport in the Baltic states have been raised by only five to ten percent. Shipping containers to EU countries has risen in price by 13 percent. Kaliningrad and Belarusian destinations suffered the most.
For example, the delivery of one container by rail from the main territory of Russia to the Kaliningrad region will rise in price by an average of 20 thousand rubles. These are serious costs for businesses, especially when it comes to large shipments of goods, the report says.
Experts see the solution to the problem in a special piggyback train. Up to 70 vehicles can be sent in this train at the same time. It follows to the Moscow station Bely Rast. Another promising area from the point of view of cargo transportation is the Belarusian Mogilev-2 station.
The government of the Kaliningrad Region also agreed with this position. The authorities are convinced that it is possible to solve the transit problem of the Russian exclave not only by increasing the number of ships, but also through maximum containerization of goods and the already mentioned piggyback transportation.