The Russian Railways will cancel trains to Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan from December 14, the Lenta.ru publication reports, citing the TASS news agency.
"The decision to cancel the trains was made as part of the adjustment of the train timetable for the period of 2014-2015, and it is connected with the low profitability of transportation on these routes," a representative of the Russian Railways said. According to him, trains will not operate on these routes for at least one year.
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Moscow-Odessa and Moscow-Kiev trains, in particular, will be canceled.
However, according to the Russian Railways, the Federal Passenger Company (a subsidiary of the Russian Railways) may schedule trains on these routes if necessary.
The Azerbaijan Railways company’s spokesman Nadyra Azmamedova said on December 8 that the Russian Railways would cancel Moscow-Baku, Rostov-Baku, and Tyumen-Baku trains because of their economic infeasibility. Tyumen-Makhachkala economic infeasibility trains will be introduced on December 14 instead of Tyumen-Baku trains.
According to the Russian Railways representative, trains to Belarus, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Abkhazian cities will not be canceled.
Earlier Russian Railways’ President Vladimir Yakunin recently emphasized that the existence of a railway link between Moscow and Kiev despite the fall in passenger traffic demonstrated that cooperation between the two countries was continuing.
