Today, the media center of Gudok Publishing House hosted the presentation of the analytical review “Coal on Rails” prepared by JSC “Institute for Transport Economics and Development” (IEDT). The review is devoted to the results of 2025 for the coal industry and the key parameters of its interaction with the transport sector.

During the event, IEDT Chief Executive Officer Sergey Valeryevich Rumyantsev and Deputy Chief Executive Officer Pavel Alexandrovich Shestakov presented the main findings of the study. They noted that amid sanctions pressure and an unfavorable price environment, the coal industry is experiencing a systemic crisis; however, the state support measures adopted in 2025 made it possible to maintain production and shipment volumes at the level of the previous year. By the end of 2025, coal loading on the Russian Railways network reached 324.5 million tonnes, accounting for 29% of total loading, with more than half of the volume directed to export routes.

Special attention in the review is paid to the economics of rail transportation of coal. According to IEDT calculations, the cumulative financial result of coal transportation in the eastern direction from 2014 through October 2025 is negative and amounts to RUB 450.6 billion. At the same time, investments in the development of the Eastern Operating Domain over the same period continued and exceeded RUB 1.3 trillion.

The “Coal on Rails” analytical review covers a wide range of issues—from the state of the global coal market and Russia’s position in it to the regional structure of transportation, price dynamics, and the transformation of logistics chains. The presented materials prompted active discussion among participants and confirmed the relevance of a comprehensive analysis of the coal industry and the transport component of its development.

Photo: Farid Khusainov; JSC “IEDT”