OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2009. A presentation took place of Freight One’s Voronezh branch at which the results of its first year of operation were summed up. The event was attended by Igor Asaturov, first deputy general director for commerce and production at JSC Freight One, German Schukin, deputy director of the Department of Industry, Transport, Communications and Innovations under the Government of the Oblast, Anatoly Volodko, head of the South-East branch of Russian Railways and Alexander Gerasimov, director of the Voronezh branch of JSC Freight One, as well as partners and clients of the company and representatives of the metallurgical, construction, agricultural and recycling industries.

All the speakers noted the branch’s stability in times of economic crisis and the high professionalism of its employees. Despite only commencing operational activity in October 2008, the Voronezh branch has already achieved significant results. Over the first half of 2009 it hauled 4.5m tonnes of cargo. Since the beginning of the year the branch has increased haulage more than fivefold. Over the first six months more than 65,000 tonnes of trucks were loaded, accounting for 13% of total freight operations on the South-East railway. Overall, the increase in haulage was due to shipments of iron ore in open wagons from the Stoilensk and Lebedinsk mining-and-processing integrated works [Stoilensky GOK and Lededinsky GOK] for the metallurgical industry (17-fold since the beginning of the year). Haulage of sugar and food commodities from Shebekino, Nikiforovka, Valuiki, Korian-Stroganovo, Rai, Alekseevka, Olkhovatka, Olkha, Oblovka and other stations also saw considerable growth (threefold).

According to the first-year results, the Voronezh branch hauled 7.6m tonnes of cargo. Ferrous metals and iron ore accounted for half (2.3m and 2.1m tonnes respectively), in addition to construction materials (0.4m), cement (0.9m), sugar (0.5m) and food commodities (0.3m).

The branch is steadily increasing its haulage operations: 10% growth is expected by the end of the year. The list of partners is constantly expanding. They include major enterprises such as: NLMK, Stoilensky GOK, Lededinsky GOK, NTK, Yukon Logistik, Minudobreniya, Rusargo-Sakhar, regional producers of vegetable oils and others.

“The haulage market has been in place a long time and it wasn’t easy finding a niche. But the company has proved its right to exist and capacity as a reliable partner and fully-fledged participant in the transport market,” concluded Alexander Gerasimov, director of the Voronezh branch of JSC Freight One.