Russian Railways expects freight traffic to/from China to grow at least 8% in 2025

MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - Russian Railways (RZD) expects freight traffic on connections with China to grow by at least 8% in 2025, RZD first deputy CEO Sergei Pavlov said on the sidelines of the TransRussia exhibition.

He said freight traffic to and from China rose 9% in the first two months of 2025. "I think that there will be an increase of at least 8% [for the year]," Pavlov said.

He attributed the slight slowdown of the growth in freight traffic to the fact that summer line work and overhauls on railways are set to begin soon. "The winter months now, this is the maximum performance of railways," Pavlov said.

RZD carried 174 million tonnes of freight on connections with China in 2024, up from 161 million tonnes in 2023.