Ukrainian Railways transported 22.9 million tons of iron ore in January-June

In January-June 2024, Ukrainian Railways (UZ) transported 22.9 million tons of iron ore. This is stated in the press release of the railway operator.

In total, during the first half of the year, UZ transported more than 90 million tons of cargo. This is 28% more than in the same period in 2023. The company transported 45 million tons of cargo for export (+59% y/y), 5 million tons for import (+62% y/y), and 40 million tons for domestic traffic (+3% y/y).

«We record a fairly positive trend in cargo transportation in the first half of 2024. It is important that, in addition to the total volume of transportation, the export of strategically important cargo – grain crops – increased by 43% compared to last year. This is crucial for strengthening the country’s economy. However, we are already seeing an increase in the volume of transportation of unprofitable cargo, which is a challenge for the financial stability of the company,» said Yevhen Liashchenko, Chairman of the Board of JSC Ukrainian Railways.

The main cargoes handled in January-June included iron ore, grain (22.5 million tons), coal (12.5 million tons), and construction materials (13.7 million tons).

«Despite the fact that grain and ore were among the leaders in terms of transportation volumes over the past six months, the volume of non-core cargo, which is unprofitable, has been growing for several months in a row,» UZ said.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2023, Ukrainian Railways transported 148.4 million tons of cargo, down 1.5%, or 2.2 million tons, compared to 2022. The transportation of iron ore decreased by 13.2% y/y – to 27.5 million tons, ferrous metals – by 10.6% y/y to 8.2 million tons, and grain – by 5.9% y/y to 30.6 million tons.