The volume of cargo transported by rail in Latvia totaled 37.1 million tons in the first eight months of 2009 and was 1.1% higher than in the respective period of time last year, LETA was informed by the state-owned railroad company Latvijas dzelzcels (LDz).
In August the company carried 4.54 million tons of cargo or 3.4% more than in July this year.
In the second half of the year, as steep increase in the container transport volume was registered – LDz subsidiaryLDz Cargo carried 42,108 TEU or 17.5% less than in last year.
LDz management explains that the good results were achieved to a large extent thanks to increase in the volume of import freights. In January-August this year the volume of import cargo transportation grew 6.8%, compared with the same period of time in 2008.
"Dynamics of cargo transportation volumes allow us to hope that this year we will manage to keep up to the same level as last year, when LDz reached a record-high cargo transit volume," LDz Chairman of the Board Ugis Magonis believes.
A slight positive trend has been observed also regarding export cargo volume, which decreased 11% in August, compared with 12.2% drop in July.
Over the first eight months of this year the LDz Cargo transported 14.89 million tons of oil products (14.4% up on the results of the same time period in 2008); coal transportation volume grew 15.1% and reached 13.5 million tons; chemical cargo volume increased 15.4% and totaled 1.94 million tons.