Representative of the Metinvest group, Serhiy Skorbun, noted that about 60% of cargo in Ukraine is transported by Ukrzaliznytsia. There are not many countries in the world where rail transport holds such significant importance. For metallurgists, rail is the primary mode of transport as it facilitates mass transportation of heavy goods such as ore, coal, limestone, and metal products. It is worth noting that metallurgists account for about 40% of the cargo base of Ukrzaliznytsia.
This is reported by Business • Media
Skorbun emphasized that “
The cost of logistics and energy resources directly affects whether we can export this product or become uncompetitive
“. Therefore, if Ukrzaliznytsia decides to raise cargo tariffs by 37%, as proposed, this could potentially lead to a decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) by ₴96 billion, as well as a reduction in budget revenues by ₴36 billion. At the same time, Ukrzaliznytsia itself could lose up to 15% of its cargo base.
Skorbun added that “
This is a significant increase for both farmers and metallurgists. For farmers, the balancing item is fertilizers: if they have less money, they will spend less on fertilizers. This will lead to a decrease in yield, and consequently, Ukrzaliznytsia will lose cargo
“.