Ukrzaliznytsia offers cheapest trips in the CIS

There will be no raise in tariffs for the transportation of passengers and freight by rail in 2014, according to the statement made by Director General of Ukrzaliznytsia Serhiy Bolobolin during the joint meeting in the Trade Union of Railwaymen and Transport Construction of Ukraine, the press service of the UZ informs.

Director General of Ukrzaliznytsia told the trade union action group that, due to the indexation of tariffs in 2013, the industry managed to obtain 650 million UAH additional revenues, of which 80% were allocated to social services and higher wages.

There has been virtually no indexation of tariffs for railway transportation during 3 years: 2009, 2010 and 2012. In 2013 in the current year indexation of tariffs for railway transportation in Ukraine was 4.6% on average, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.

Also in 2013 there was indexation of tariffs and passenger transportation. Prior to that the tariffs for transportation of passengers in domestic traffic in general coaches increased in October 2008, the second-class - in June 2009, international traffic - also in October 2008. Since then, products consumed by the rail, has risen significantly. According to experts Ukrzaliznytsia, in recent years the rate of growth of industrial producer prices outpaced the increase in rail fares several times.

Travels by Ukrainian railways remain the cheapest among the CIS countries. Passenger transportations are still unprofitable. In January-October 2013 losses from passenger traffic totaled 5.35 billion UAH, including 2.9 billion UAH of suburban trains.