OREANDA-NEWS. On 24 March 2009 was announced, that Chief of Oktyabrskaya railway Victor Stepov accompanied by heads of divisions of the road was in Petrozavodsk on a working visit. Victor Stepov has carried on negotiations with the Head of the Republic Sergey Katanandov and has taken part in the meeting on cooperation between Oktyabrskaya railway and the Republic of Karelia.

The Republic of Karelia and Oktyabrskaya railway are longstanding and reliable partners. This idea has run all through the Victor Stepov's visit. Although sometimes partners get into arguments and complaints, they always seek to find mutually advantageous solutions. Assessing teamwork with Oktyabrskaya railway, Sergey Katanandov has even told that it "can be an example for all natural monopolies":

– The railway is also raising its tariffs and carries out internal reforms, – Head of the Republic has told. – However, unlike powermen, railwaymen try to make it so that consumers would not suffer from the growth of tariffs that come like a bolt from the blue, and it would not strangle the whole branches of economy. All our actions are always coordinated, aimed at taking mutual interests into account.

Scale of partnership between Oktyabrskaya railway and republic is confirmed by the following figures: within the past 10 years Oktyabrskaya railway invested more than 17 billion roubles in territory of Karelia, and in the nearest years, due to the railway development, matters will concern another tens of billions. In 2008 from Karelian enterprises Oktyabrskaya railway for its needs has bought goods and services to the sum of more than 200 million roubles. Last year 101 264 people have taken advantage of suburban railway communication in Karelia. The railway is the basic carrier of all our main cargoes – iron-ore pellets, paper, timber, and road metal.

Financial and economic crisis has struck on key economic branches of economy of the republic that was reflected in transportations. At the meeting with heads of Karelian enterprises railwaymen have told about those numerous steps, which they make towards industrial enterprises to facilitate and reduce cargo transportations price for them. The main of these steps is freezing tariffs at the level of 2008.

Amid the crisis railwaymen try to reduce expenditure. Unfortunately, redundancy will concern passenger transportations as the most unprofitable part of the railway operation. Suburban train traffic will be partially reduced on a number of routes. There has been achieved the agreement that it will be partly compensated by activization of bus transportation on these directions.

By results of the meeting Sergey Katanandov and Victor Stepov have signed the Memorandum of Cooperation. The document has secured the developed principles of cooperation: equality, partnership, mutual advantage. The parties have undertaken to refrain from actions which could cause economic damage to other party, coordinate decisions which may infringe on interests of other party, search for and find ways out of economic crisis and overcome its consequences together.