Based on this research and mostly relaying on completed interviews, the main national peculiarities in Russian railway freight market are importance of personal relations and strong linkage with politics. The main barriers to entry are features related to rolling stock (registration and acquisition), needed investments and bureaucracy.
Although railway undertakings’ expectations for the future are optimistic, due to ongoing Reform Programme railway undertakings found it hard to predict the future, because legislation and government’s decisions are partially unknown. Railway undertakings are satisfied with the traction services provided by the Russian Railways; nonetheless quite many wagon leasing companies would be willing to start offering traction services, if reform will proceed into more deregulated direction. Worth to notice, Finnish specific feature of the research work was the attractiveness of transportation logistics market between Finland and Russia – this was seen as interesting new market, if it is going to be opened in the future. Currently this is the privilege of governmentally owned railway companies from respective countries.
Laisi, Milla (2010). Business Environment and Future Opportunities in Russian Railway Freight Market. Research Reports of the Finnish Transport Agency, 18/2010. Available at http://www.rhk.fi/tietopalvelu/julkaisut/liikenneviraston_tutkimuksia_ja/
Further information:
Doctoral Student Milla Laisi, LUT Kouvola, +358 50 380 5808, milla.laisi(at)lut.fi
Rail Transport Director Miika Mäkitalo, Finnish Transport Agency, +358 20 637 3861, miika.makitalo(at)liikennevirasto.fi
Professor Olli-Pekka Hilmola, LUT Kouvola, +358 40 761 4307, olli-pekka.hilmola(at)lut.fi