This resulted in an operating profit of Roubles 2.8bn, up 29% from Roubles 2.1bn in 2017, and a net profit of Roubles 1.1bn, up 71% from Roubles 673m in 2017.

The company transported 47.8 million tonnes of freight during the period, 10.3% more than 2017. Growth was driven by freight logistics, which increased 250% to 26.1 million tonnes.

RZD Logistics says this was the result of developing a number of different areas, including:

  • strengthening relationships with current customers by providing them with more complex services tailored to their individual logistics needs
  • expanding its customer base by initially attracting customers to simpler services such as freight logistics and forwarding
  • geographic expansion, in particular the development of new container routes with the involvement of the Asia-Pacific region and Commonwealth of Independent States, and
  • an increase in the transport of consolidated shipments of goods, including through work with retail companies and the launch of the Rail Jet service transporting parcels on the Beijing - Moscow route in the baggage cars of passenger trains.

RZD Logistics says it has seen growing demand from large industrial companies for inter-plant logistics, including the organisation of shunting operations on company-owned railways, the preparation of rolling stock for loading and unloading, locomotive weighing and cleaning, and consulting. During the first nine months of 2018, RZD Logistics began working with a number of companies including Urgal Coal, Oskolcement, Preobrazhenskaya Neft, and Invest-Uglesbyt.

The company says it has also been developing its container traffic business sector, with an emphasis on providing a comprehensive service including first and last-mile transport as well as terminal and customs services.

RZD Logistics launched a number of new projects to improve its container traffic offering, including the Changsha - Tilburg (Netherlands) service via Mongolia, a service to Minsk from the Zagaikalsk province in Hunan via Zabaykalsk, and a new service to Khorgos-Altynkol on the border between China and Kazakhstan.