Fares for rail transport of goods and passengers will increase in Russia from December 1

According to the project, rates will be indexed simultaneously starting December 1. Options for two-stage indexation starting November 1 or one-stage indexing starting January 1 were discussed in September.

An FAS source confirmed the project parameters to the publication, but the office of the corresponding deputy prime minister, Vitaly Savelyev, the Ministry of Transport, JSC Russian Railways and the FAS itself declined to comment.

The indexation of transport tariffs, according to Kommersant, will be 13.8%, including the constant fixation of target surcharges. These allowances (1.5% for tax adjustments, 7% for major repairs and 1% for transport safety) will be included in the indexation base.

Passenger transportation rates in the regulated segment (seat reservation and general wagons) will increase by 11.6%. In the unregulated segment (coupe, SV and luxury), the Federal Passenger Company also plans to increase fares by 11.6% at its discretion. The funds will be used to purchase new rolling stock.

President of the Center for Infrastructure Economics, Vladimir Kosoy, notes that labor, repair and production costs are increasing, which is reflected in the tariffs of natural monopolies. The director of the National Research Center on Transport and Infrastructure, Pavel Ivankin, believes that the indexing parameters are “on the verge of the tolerance of cargo owners”, but they are justified.

HSE expert Farid Khusainov points out the risks of the new tariff calculation formula: the lack of external verification of the minimum prices of goods and services included in the composite index, and the incentives to increase costs.

The interlocutor of the publication, close to Russian Railways, noted that the parameters of the proposals for the composite index are under discussion. The 13.8% decision was made by the FAS as a compromise between the proposals of Russian Railways and the relevant departments.

According to Kommersant, the company has long insisted on taking into account price pressure, which includes in tariffs not only consumer inflation but also industrial inflation, such as rising prices for materials, fuel and electricity. electricity. The additional revenue generated by such a system is estimated to be about 30 billion rubles a year, although the growth in debt obligations has not been taken into account until now.

The company also proposed maintaining long-term target tariff surcharges, not reinstating preferential rates for the transportation of coal for export, and increasing tariffs for the transportation of containers, construction cargo and empty cars. An increase in profits for coal miners was discussed both with the companies themselves and with the Ministry of Energy, although Russian Railways estimated its losses at 295 billion rubles a year, Kommersant noted.

In 2022, tariffs were indexed twice: 6.8% at the beginning of the year and 11% in June, which in total increased by 18.6% compared to 2021. In 2024, the indexation was 10, 75%.