The growth of railway tariffs in Ukraine threatens not only the development of intermodal chains and terminals, but also the strategic goal of the state – containerization of cargo transportation. This was stated by the CEO of Levada Cargo Volodymyr Demenko, emphasizing that such changes could become a critical brake on the market and return shippers to road transport.
The reason for the discussion was the intention of Ukrzaliznytsia to increase rates for container transportation, the mass of which exceeds 26 tons gross. The railway operator and a number of companies that own grain hopper cars believe that the current tariffs create unequal conditions for competition compared to traditional transportation. However, business representatives warn: such steps increase transport competition and can worsen the investment climate.
The head of the Western Container Terminal Volodymyr Lopatinsky notes that the competition between road and intermodal transport in the country is already extremely high. An increase in railway tariffs could seriously affect the entire logistics ecosystem, including the interests of the end consumer and investors.