Avg daily railway hauling up 0.3% in Feb
MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax) - The average daily cargo load on Russia's railways increased 0.3% year-on-year last month, the OJSC Russian railways press service said.
In absolute terms, total volume was 93.9 million tonnes last month, 3.2% less than in February of last year (considering the extra day in Leap Year 2012).
Cargo turnover decreased 3.8% to 163.8 billion tonne/kilometers (including empty miles - by 2% to 210.3 billion tonne/km).
In the first two months of 2013, the cargo load was 4.8% less year-on-year at 189 million tonnes. In particular, shipping of oil and oil products was down 2.4% at 42.3 million tonnes, construction cargo 11.7% at 20.8 million tonnes, iron and manganese ore 0.9% at 17 million tonnes, ferrous metals 7.4% at 11.6 million tonnes, chemical and mineral fertilizers 0.3% at 7.6 million tonnes, timer 7.2% at 5.5 million tonnes, chemicals and soda 5.2% at 4.5 million tonnes, raw industrial material and shaped goods 16% at 4.1 million tonnes, cement 0.4% at 3.7 million tonnes, non-ferrous ores and raw sulphur 9.3% at 3.3 million tonnes, coke 1.9% at 2 million tonnes, grain and milled goods 50.1% at 1.9 million tonnes, and ferrous metal scrap 5.5% at 1.6 million tonnes.
Only shipping of bituminous coal was up for the period - 0.9% at 51.4 million tonnes.
Cargo turnover in January-February was down 5.6% at 342.2 billion tonne/km (including empty miles - by 5.1% at 437.3 billion tonne/km).
Based on the dated provided by RZD, the average daily February load of construction cargoes was down 1.6 at 396,400 tonnes, of ferrous metals 5.3% at 203,600 tonnes, of timber 6.2% at 103,600 tonnes, of raw industrial material and shaped goods 10.4% at 71,400 tonnes, of chemicals and soda 9.3% at 78,600 tonnes, of non-ferrous ores and raw sulphur 4.5% at 57,100 tonnes, of grains and milled products 42% at 42,900 tonnes, and coke 1% at 34,600 tonnes.
On the other hand, the rail shipment of coal was up 4.5% at 878,600 tonnes, of oil and oil products 1.5% at 728,600 tonnes, of iron and manganese ore 3.9% at 546,400 tonnes, of chemical and mineral fertilizers 5.5% at 132,100 tonnes, of cement 13.1% at 75,000 tonnes, and of ferrous metal scrap 0.8% at 32,100 tonnes. In January, only the hauling of coal was up - 0.9%, and of coke - 0.6%.
On Thursday, RZD Vice President Anatoly Krasnoschek said that the company expects a 1.2% drop in rail shipment this month. "We assumed a plan of 3.44 million tonnes [on average per day]," he said.
The slide in railway haulage in Russia began last December. Before then, things were moving up. December haulage contracted 3.7%, in January - 6.3%. RZD originally expected a 2.8%-4.3% drop in February, but in mid-month RZD's First Vice President Vadim Morozov said that that figure could maintain at the level of February 2012. Experts allow that the "slumping" market for railway haulage in Russia will be gradually reviving against a backdrop of increased activity in the construction sector.
RZD expects growth of 0.7% for this year as a whole. However, company President Vladimir Yakunin said in mid-February that RZD might revise its forecast downwards.
Railway cargo haulage in Russia increased 2.4% to 1.272 billion tonnes.