EVR Cargo’s freight volume improved slightly in September compared to August

Estonian state-owned rail freight operator EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 767 thousand tons in September, increasing by 8 per cent compared to August but remaining 38 per cent below last year’s September volume. Thetotal volume of goods hauled in the first nine months of the year reached 8.7 million tons, staying 23 per cent below last year’s first eight months’ volume.

EVR Cargo’s chairman of the board Ahto Altjõe said that the slight increase month-on-month in September is little consolation when looking at the total volume during 2015. “We are hoping to increase freight volumes in the coming months, but are likely to remain below last year’s total number eventually,” noted Altjõe.

The overall volume of fertilisers in September decreased by 10 per cent year-on-year, reaching 266 thousand tons. Mineral liquid fuel volumes decreased by 58 per cent to 151 thousand tons. Dry bulk cargo volumes dropped by 34 per cent to 44 thousand tons. Oil shale volumes were down by 51 per cent, reaching 136 thousand tons and chemical goods volumes decreased by 30 per cent to 81 thousand tons. Container traffic volumes dropped by 48 per cent to 3466 TEUs in September.

The largest trade partner for EVR Cargo in September was Russia, where the total volume of goods exchanged reached 451 thousand tons. Russia was followed by Lithuania with 69 thousand tons, Latvia with 20 thousand tons and Kazakhstan with 8 thousand tons. Trade exchange with Belarus decreased to 7 thousand tons.

Transit freight volumes reached 427 thousand tons in September, forming 56 per cent of the total freight volume and decreasing by 44 per cent compared to September last year.

During the first nine months of the year, EVR Cargo’s total freight volume has reached 8.7 million tons, dropping by 23 per cent compared to last year. The volume of mineral liquid fuels decreased by 34 per cent to 2.99 million tons. The volume of fertilisers has increased by 7 per cent to 2.7 million tons. The freight volume of chemical goods has reduced by 11 per cent to 751 thousand tons, the volume of oil shale transport has dropped by 33 per cent to 1.2 million tons and the volume of dry bulk cargo by 46 per cent to 296 thousand tons. Container volumes reached 33 963 TEUs in the first nine months, down by 41 per cent from last year.

AS EVR Cargo was separated from Estonian Railways in 2012, the company serves its customers in Estonia on a 1229-kilometre long railway track as well as over the entire 1520-millimeter gauge railway network, stretching from Finland to the Black Sea and from the Baltic States to the coast of the Sea of Japan, covering all CIS member states. Rail cars are hauled to and from Russia and surrounding regions in block trains or shuttles, requiring less formalities and thus ensuring faster delivery times. The company also has its own fleet of approximately 3000 wagons and 70 locomotives and offers rolling stock repair and maintenance services to its customers. The Estonian logistics hub has several competitive advantages: fully renovated railway infrastructure with more than 25 million tons of annual free capacity, modern port and terminal infrastructure, transparent costs and a business-friendly tax and economic environment.