There are not enough gondola cars to transport construction materials

In response to the deputies’ concern about the shortage of gondola cars for transporting construction materials, the Ministry of Transport proposed to give quotas for such cars, which members of the Union of Railway Transport Operators (SOJT) could distribute. The idea did not meet with understanding from the operator market: in addition to the fact that SOZHT does not conduct commercial activities, it is not clear how to abstractly reserve a wagon without reference to a specific transportation and who will pay for its maintenance in the reserve. Operators offer senders to switch to long-term contracts with a fixed rate. But, according to analysts, this is unrealistic due to the seasonality of construction cargo transportation.

Deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party are asking the Ministry of Transport to resolve the issue of a shortage of gondola cars for transporting construction materials, follows from the faction’s correspondence with the Ministry of Transport (Kommersant has it). “Not so long ago, another jump in prices for building materials was recorded again,” writes Vladimir Koshelev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Public Utilities. “One of the factors behind the rise in prices was the shortage of railway gondola cars. Since it was banned in the country in 2016 to extend the service life of old gondola cars, Russian Railways has regularly recorded their seasonal shortage.”

Today, with record volumes of the working fleet on the network, there is no formal shortage of gondola cars, but in fact it takes place, since the surplus of the fleet is absorbed by the slowdown in the turnover of cars (see “Kommersant” dated June 22). This maintains the rate of their provision at a high level, and in the construction cargo segment in May, participants observed its growth by 10%. At the same time, the transportation of construction materials in the first half of the year increased by 6.1% compared to the same period in 2022.

Complaints from shippers about the shortage of wagons are a cyclical phenomenon that occurs every time there is a high demand and high rates for gondola cars (see, for example, “Kommersant” dated October 17, 2017). The construction sector, due to market volatility and seasonality of work, as a rule, leases wagons on the spot at rates that are significantly higher than their level under long-term contracts. As a rule, operators offer to switch to long-term contracts with a fixed rate.

The Ministry of Transport gave similar advice. But at the same time, the ministry notes that one of the solutions could be the distribution within the framework of the Union of Railway Transport Operators, whose members own the bulk of the gondola car fleet, quotas for their provision. The Ministry of Transport and SOZHT did not give any comments.

Participants in the operator market interviewed by Kommersant did not meet the idea of ​​understanding. Firstly, a self-regulatory organization (SOGT) is not entitled to carry out entrepreneurial activities, including cannot distribute orders, says Kommersant’s interlocutor among operators. “Secondly, it is impossible to abstractly “reserve” the rolling stock required within the established quota,” he emphasizes. “And at whose expense will the rolling stock reserved for quotas be maintained in this case?”

Another interlocutor of Kommersant notes that at the beginning of the year there was an unusually high demand for rolling stock from construction cargo and operators satisfied it, as a result of which there were historical records for the transportation of crushed stone in gondola cars. He adds that any regulation will lead to a decrease in free competition and the attractiveness of the market for investors and a drop in the quality of services. “This is especially dangerous in view of the approaching mass decommissioning of gondola cars, because if there are no investors willing to buy cars at a high price, then the entire economy may stop,” Kommersant’s source emphasizes. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport writes that the rates of operators are the component that has the most significant impact on the cost of transporting goods.

The interlocutor of Kommersant in the operator market says that in reality their share in the total costs of the consignor for transportation is about 30%. There is no shortage of rolling stock, he assures. There is the question of the cost of the wagon component, “which, by the way, is influenced by both poorly organized logistics and the payment discipline of the senders of building materials.” He adds that operators, taking into account the requirements for prepayment of tariff payments at Russian Railways, usually include in their contracts a similar condition for 100% prepayment, but manufacturers of construction materials are not always ready to work on this principle.

Quotas are a strange idea, especially within a self-regulatory organization, believes Mikhail Burmistrov, head of Infoline Analytics. The conclusion of long-term contracts is a good option, but not easily accessible for most companies in the construction sector, where deliveries are often tied to tenders, and as a rule, there is no talk of constant volumes and routes. In his opinion, the way out of this difficult situation lies in the field of improved dispatching on the network, as well as the use of alternative modes of transport, including river transport for bulk cargo, where there is great potential.

Natalya Skorlygina