Freight rates in Ukraine will rise by 15% in January 2016. The acting head of the State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia), Oleksandr Zavhorodnyi, announced this at a meeting with journalists, the CFTS correspondent reports.
"The raising of freight rates by 15% is planned for 1 January 2016. The rate for transportation of coal will rise by 5%. The next increase is scheduled for July 2016, and it will depend on the level of inflation in the country," said Zavhorodnyi.
Regarding passenger rates, Zavhorodnyi said that a decision would be made later: after an analysis of Ukrzaliznytsia’s passenger transport operations.
As reported, freight rates were last raised in Ukraine in January 2015, when they were raised by 30% (excluding the rate for coal, which was raised gradually by 28% over a period of three months).
Ukrzaliznytsia proposed another rate hike of about 25% in February. The head of Ukrzaliznytsia at the time, Maksym Blank, said that this proposal was prompted by the continuing devaluation of the national currency and the increasing cost of fuel. The Ministry of Infrastructure expected the next round of rate increase to take place before May, but the State Regulatory Service refused to approve the relevant order of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
