Russian Railways have reported a 14.3% increase in rail container traffic during 2018. All in all, some 4.5 mn TEU was carried.
Domestic volumes were up 5.7% year-on-year to 1.9 mn TEU, export up 16.9% to over 1.1 mn TEU, and import up 21.5% to 589.8 thousand TEU.
Transit grew the most, by 33.5% up to 557.2 thousand TEU.
Loaded container traffic amounted to some 3 TEU, increasing 13.8% year-on-year.
Containerized chemicals and soda were up 8.4% to 490 thousand TEU, paper up 9.6% to 313.7 thousand TEU, timber up 41.2% to 387.9 thousand TEU, industrial goods up 9.3% to 280.3 thousand TEU.
Hardware volumes increased 14% up to 265.5 thousand TEU, cars 23.6% up to 225.6 thousand TEU, machinery, equipment and engines 20.5% up to 213.5% thousand TEU.
Ferrous metals grew by 18.9% up to 124.3 thousand TEU, construction cargo by 18.3% up to 104.2 thousand TEU.
Chemical and mineral fertilizers were down 26.5% to 42.3 thousand TEU, non-ferrous metals down 3.8% to 107.9 thousand TEU.
Containerized cargo transportation by rail in 2018 exceeded 42 mn tons, up 12.4% compared to the result pf 2017.
In December, Russian Railways carried some 440 thousand TEU, up 30.1% month-on-month.