Russian Railways have reported an 14.5% year-on-year increase in rail container traffic during January-March 2021. All in all, 1.5 mn TEU was carried during the period under report.
Domestic container traffic grew by 5.5% up to 578.9 thousand TEU, export was up 6.3% to 378.8 thousand TEU, import up 15% to 313.5 thousand TEU, while transit surged 74.2% up to more than 230 thousand TEU.
Laden container traffic made 1.044 mn TEU, up 21.5% year-on-year.
Commodity-wise, containerized grains grew the most, by 4-fold up to 9.5 thousand TEU. Fruit, vegetables and potatoes grew by 63.9% up to 3 thousand TEU, machinery, engines and equipment by 46.8% up to 83.7 thousand TEU, hardware by 45.2% up to 93.1 thousand TE, and ferrous metals by 42.1% up to 60.4 thousand TEU,
Containerized chemicals and soda were up 10.1% year-on-year to 184.9 thousand TEU, timber and woodwork up 5.4% to 127.4 thousand TEU, vehicles and parts up 15.9% to 66.4 thousand TEU, non-ferrous metals up 21.6% to 37.7 thousand TEU.
Construction cargo transportation increased by 16% up to 34.1 thousand TEU, chemical and mineral fertilizers by 17.2% to 10.5 thousand TEU, non-ferrous metal ore and raw sulphur by 33.2% up to 8.4 thousand TEU, metal structures by 5.8% to 3.4 thousand TEU, fish by 6.3% up to 5.6 thousand TEU, other food products by 24.3% up to 38.8 thousand TEU, other and LCL cargo by 23.3% up to 34.1 thousand TEU.
Containerized coal transportation that started in February this year made 5.4 thousand tons during Q1 2021.
Containerized paper was down 1.5% to 88.9 thousand TEU, oil and products down 21.3% to 17.8 thousand TEU, meal and flour down 4.5% to 2.5 thousand TEU.