over 200,000 Russian Railways cars to be replaced by 2030 – Kommersant

Analysts at VTB Leasing have calculated that by 2030 in Russia it is necessary to replace 200,000 out of more than 1.2 million railcars on the Russian Railways network due to the end of their service life. Source RBC in one of the major rail operators claims that more cars need to be replaced. According to him, 237,000 railcars are about to expire, which is 18.3% of the rolling stock on the Russian Railways network.

The interlocutor of RBC noted that the main part of the fleet with an expiring service life is made up of gondola cars in the amount of 114 thousand units, tanks (53 thousand) and platforms (26 thousand). Mikhail Burmistrov, General Director of INFOLine-Analytics, specified that the minimum volume of wagon write-offs until 2030 is 214,000 tons.

Director General of VTB Leasing Anton Musatov believes that the reproduction of decommissioned railcars will require at least 900 billion rubles. provided that the price of the wagon remains at the current level. Now the cost of the car is 4.5 million rubles. without VAT. According to Mr. Musatov, 80,000 out of 200,000 new railcars will be purchased through leasing.

In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia “On Amendments to the Rules for the Technical Operation of Railways of the Russian Federation”, from January 1, 2016, the operation of cars with an extended service life is prohibited. The wagon operation period varies from ten years (specialized equipment designed, for example, for the transportation of aggressive mineral fertilizers) to more than 30 years (standard gondola cars).

According to the Association of Railway Equipment Manufacturers (OPZhT), in January-February 2023, Russian industrial enterprises reduced production of freight cars by 24.4% in annual terms, up to 7669 units. Their release at the end of the year, predicts OPZhT, may fell by 14%, up to 54 thousand units.

Milena Kostereva