{"id":92051,"date":"2026-02-17T06:39:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/893009967"},"modified":"2026-02-17T06:39:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:39:43","slug":"russia-to-hike-cargo-rates-to-support-rail-monopoly-amid-mounting-losses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/russia-to-hike-cargo-rates-to-support-rail-monopoly-amid-mounting-losses\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia to Hike Cargo Rates to Support Rail Monopoly Amid Mounting Losses"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div data-id=\"article-block-type\" class=\"article__block article__block--html article__block--column \">\n<p>The Russian government will raise freight tariffs on Russian Railways (RZhD) by 1% from March 1, a move aimed at shoring up the company as it struggles with falling traffic and mounting debt.<\/p>\n<p>The state-owned rail operator has grappled with a sharp decline cargo volumes in recent years, with the company losing 14% of freight shipments since&nbsp;the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>RZhD has accumulated 4 trillion rubles ($52 billion) in debt and recorded its first net loss since the pandemic last year.<\/p>\n<p>The government order, signed Monday by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, introduces a \u201craising coefficient\u201d for all shippers, described as necessary \u201cto fund measures compensating expenses related to ensuring transport security.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"article-block-type\" class=\"article__block article__block--article article__block--column \">\n<aside class=\"article__related-article\"> <span class=\"label related-article__label label--default\">news<\/span> <a data-id=\"in-article-block\" class=\"related-article__inner\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/02\/17\/russia-eyes-rescue-plan-for-debt-laden-rail-monopoly\" title=\"Russia Eyes Rescue Plan for Debt-Laden Rail Monopoly\"> <\/p>\n<h3 class=\"related-article__title\"> Russia Eyes Rescue Plan for Debt-Laden Rail Monopoly <\/h3>\n<p> <span class=\"related-article__cta\">Read more<\/span> <\/a> <\/aside>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"article-block-type\" class=\"article__block article__block--html article__block--column \">\n<p>RZhD <a href=\"https:\/\/ru.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/12\/01\/rzhd-poprosili-200-milliardov-rublei-izbyudzheta-chtobi-zakrit-diru-vfinansah-a181471\" title=\"requested\">requested<\/a> 200 billion rubles ($2.6 billion) in urgent support from the National Wealth Fund late last year to cover financial shortfalls and debt obligations, but the Finance Ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-02-11\/russian-firms-scramble-for-state-aid-from-budget-strained-by-war\" title=\"allocated\">allocated<\/a> only 65 billion rubles ($845 million).<\/p>\n<p>Sergei Aleksashenko, a senior fellow at the NEST Center in London, called RZhD \u201ceffectively bankrupt\u201d and said it cannot get out of its debt without outside support.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters calculations show the tariff increase is expected to generate 22.3 billion rubles ($290 million) in additional revenue for RZhD.<\/p>\n<p>The company, which reported a net loss of 4.4 billion rubles ($57 million) in the first nine months of 2025, sent some employees on unpaid leave and <a href=\"https:\/\/ru.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/10\/17\/rzhd-zapuskayut-volnu-uvolnenii-iz-za-kollapsa-gruzoperevozok-i-problem-v-byudzhete-a177589\" title=\"started\">started<\/a> laying off staff in October.<\/p>\n<p>RZhD plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/ru.themoscowtimes.com\/2025\/12\/29\/rzhd-pustyat-pod-nozh-rashodi-navagoni-ilokomotivi-iz-za-ubitkov-idolgov-a183925\" title=\"cut\">cut<\/a> its investment program by a quarter this year to balance finances.<\/p>\n<p>Spending on construction and procurement of wagons and locomotives will fall to 713.6 billion rubles ($9.3 billion) from 890.9 billion ($11.6 billion) last year and 1.5 trillion ($19.5 billion) in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The government is also preparing a broader aid package worth 1.3 trillion rubles ($16.9 billion) that includes debt restructuring and asset sales.<\/p>\n<p>RZhD has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/finance\/russia-orders-russian-railways-sell-24-billion-moscow-towers-pay-debts-three-2025-12-18\/\" title=\"ordered\">ordered<\/a> to sell a 62-story skyscraper in Moscow\u2019s Moscow City business district that it purchased in 2024 for 193.1 billion rubles ($2.5 billion), as well as the Rizhsky Station building in Moscow.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ru.themoscowtimes.com\/2026\/02\/16\/fakticheski-obankrotilis-pravitelstvo-ekstrenno-povishaet-zheleznodorozhnie-tarifi-chtobi-spasti-rzhd-a187409\" title=\"Read this story in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service.\">Read this story in Russian at The Moscow Times&#8217; 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