The country’s Transport Ministry said that the last indexation of tariffs for rail freight traffic via Ukraine was in October 2008, save the shipping of cargoes of mining and metallurgical and chemical complexes that had discounts.
As a result of these discounts, the officials said, from September 2008 through February 2010, the Ukrainian budget has had a 600-m hryvnia shortfall. In 2009, the shortfall in the revenue amounted to nearly 13 billion hryvnia, the Ministry statement said.
The Ministry points out that the level of tariffs for transportation of iron ore, ferrous metals, coke on Ukraine railroads are almost half of those in Russia and almost one six of Eastern Europe railroads tariffs.
Transport and Communications Ministry also notes that UkrZaliznytsya, the state-run Railroad troubled by the crisis should pay off this year a $312.5-m debt.