The Russian bear-hug

摘要

The good news for shippers is that Russia's rail services are being deregulated and liberalised to create more healthy competition. The bad news is that the state remains in control, so the benefits have been slow in coming. The model being followed by Russia is similar to that being refined in the EU. Track access has been separated from the retail of block train services; however traction is still provided only by the state-owned railway company (RZD).