Scientists Find Way to Optimize Coal Transportation by Rail

Coal accounts for a significant portion of all freight transport on railways, with more than half of the trains heading for export. Currently, the freight flow is redirected to the East, which is complicated by limited transport capacity. The Institute for Transport Economics and Development (IEDT) has proposed developing coal processing at the source. According to their calculations, one-fifth of all coal mined in Russia could be used in the production of coal chemistry.

In January-February, 30.5 million tons of coal were exported via Russian Railways (RZD), a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year. The majority of the coal (27.2 million tons) was sent to ports, primarily in the Far East (15.9 million tons). The Northwestern region received 7.1 million tons, while 4.2 million tons were sent to the South. Half of all coal exported to the East came from the Kuzbass region.

The share of coal in the total railway freight volume is 28%. Last year, coal freight reached 331.4 million tons, with 54% of it being export shipments. External constraints and reductions in supplies through the northwestern and southern border crossings redirected coal trade flows to alternative regional markets in the Asia-Pacific region, filling nearly all the transport capacity of the Eastern polygon. According to IEDT, compared to 2013, coal exports to the northwestern direction decreased by 23%, to the southern direction by 18%, while exports to the eastern direction grew by 97%, with coal’s share in the overall volume of this direction increasing by 14%, reaching 73% in 2024.

"In 2024, Russian Railways fulfilled all its obligations to export coal products to the East under all agreements with regions, except for Kuzbass, where the technological capabilities of coal mining companies were not fully utilized," states the analytical review prepared by IEDT.

The full article can be found on the website of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Photo: REUTERS