Russia's Transport Ministry supports transferring road, rail freight to river transport

MOSCOW. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Transportation of freight by roadway and railway should be moved to inland waterways, Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit said.

"Unfortunately, we see today that grain and fertilizer are still transported by roads. Even coal, stone materials, are transported along certain sections of federal interstate highways. The railways are of course loaded. This freight needs to be redistributed, specifically to our waterways," Starovoit said during an interview with Rossiya 24 TV.

Developing infrastructure for river transport is under consideration as part of the future national project, Starovoit said. The Transport Ministry jointly with regional authorities and the owners of transport and berth infrastructure are working to establish transport and logistics hubs, where all types of transport will be involved, namely roadway, railway, and river way.

"Jointly with the enterprises that operate in this market, we are currently creating a map where the centers would be located," said Starovoit.