Ukrainian Railways reduced iron ore transportation by 13% y/y in 2023

Transportation of steel products decreased by 10.6% last year

In 2023, Ukrainian Railways (UZ) reduced the transportation of iron and manganese ore by 13.2% compared to 2022, to 27.5 million tons. This is stated in the press release of the railway operator.

Last year, transportation of steel products amounted to 8.2 million tons, which is 10.6% less than in 2022. In total, the transportation of iron and steel by rail amounted to 35.7 million tons, which is 24% of the total transportation volume in 2023.

In total, in 2023, Ukrainian Railways reduced cargo transportation by 1.5% compared to 2022, to 148.4 million tons. At the same time, from March to December 2023, the railroad operator transported an average of 23% more cargo per month than in the same period in 2022.

«At present, due to the temporary occupation of the territories, UZ cannot reach the levels of cargo transportation before the large-scale invasion. However, after the opening of the Ukrainian sea corridor and ports, it was possible to increase export transportation,» the statement said.

Thus, 22.3 million tons of export cargo were transported to seaports, and 34.4 million tons were transported through land crossings. Last year, transportation in domestic traffic grew most noticeably – by 11.4% y/y, to 84.8 million tons.

Among the leaders in terms of transportation volumes in all directions, except for iron and steel, are:

• grain cargoes – 30.6 million tons (+5.9% y/y);
• construction materials – 29.6 million tons (+29.6%);
• hard coal – 26.2 million tons (-11.2%).

«Last year, we managed to increase transportation volumes, even though the enemy tried to block the country’s transportation system, including the sea. Thanks to the coordinated work of our special services, the military, and the Ministry of Reconstruction, we managed to launch the Ukrainian sea corridor. During the 5 months of the corridor’s operation, the railroad transported 8.8 million tons of cargo to the Black Sea ports (+8.6% y/y). The railroad also increased transportation volumes to Danube ports by almost 33%, in particular through Moldova and Romania. In general, if we compare March-December 2022 and the same period in 2023, we increased the total transportation volumes from 102 to 126 million tons,» said Yevhen Liashchenko, Chairman of UZ Board

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2022, Ukrainian Railways reduced iron ore and manganese ore transportation by 59.2% compared to 2021, to 41.7 million tons. Last year, ferrous metal transportation volumes decreased by 57.8% y/y – to 9.2 million tons. In total, UZ transported 150.6 million tons of cargo over the year, which is 52.1% less than in 2021.