EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 928 thousand tons in April

Estonian state-owned rail freight operator EVR Cargo’s freight volume reached 928 thousand tons in April, dropping by 28 per cent compared to April 2014.

EVR Cargo’s chairman of the board Ahto Altjõe said that freight volumes continued to decrease in nearly all segments.  “We remain hopeful that some freight volumes will be restored to normal levels in the near future, as April’s results were heavily influenced by planned repair works at the facilities of the largest fertiliser and container clients,” said Altjõe.

The overall volume of mineral liquid fuels in April decreased by 39 per cent year-on-year, reaching 356 thousand tons. Oil shale volumes increased by 26 per cent to 206 thousand tons. Dry bulk cargo volumes dropped by 64 per cent to 22 thousand tons. Fertilisers were down by 39 per cent, reaching 165 thousand tons and chemical goods volumes decreased by 15 per cent to 81 thousand tons. Container traffic volumes dropped by 61 per cent to 2556 TEUs in April.

The most important trade partner for EVR Cargo in April was Russia, where the total volume of goods exchanged reached 388 thousand tons tons, decreasing by 43 per cent year-on-year. Russia was followed by Belarus with 125 thousand tons, Latvia with 68 thousand tons and Kazakhstan with 15 thousand tons. Trade exchange with Lithuania increased by 66 per cent to 50 thousand tons.

Transit freight volumes reached 541 thousand tons in April, forming 58 per cent of the total freight volume and decreasing by 42 per cent compared to April last year.

During the first four months of the year, EVR Cargo’s freight volume has reached 4.4 million tons, dropping by 24 per cent compared to last year. The volume of mineral liquid fuels decreased by 38 per cent to 1.72 million tons. The volume of fertilisers has increased by 10 per cent to 1.17 million tons. The freight volume of chemical goods has been reduced by 12 per cent to 309 thousand tons, the volume of oil shale transport has dropped by 9 per cent to 765 thousand tons and the volume of dry bulk cargo by 55 per cent to 107 thousand tons. Container volumes reached 15 040 TEUs in the first four months, down by 29 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 more than 3300 wagons and 80 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.