OREANDA-NEWS.  February 06, 2012. As of 1 February 2012, in order to increase the effectiveness of management of the own rolling stock and to reduce financial charges related to the buffer-cars distribution, Freight One shifts to independent gondola cars fleet management, which was previously placed under management of Russian Railways in accordance with the terms of the Agent agreement.

 The Company intends to provide effective management of the gondola cars fleet through improving the transportation process' planning. The technology, developed by Freight One, envisages, in particular, active employment of transportation routing, trailing loading, as well as double-run operations. It will allow the Company to minimize the conflicting car traffic, which will contribute to the decrease of load onto the railways' infrastructure. It is expected that the level of transportation routing will rise from 45% to 70%, and the empty run expenditure will drop by 15%.

 Freight One will carry out the shift to gondola cars fleet management gradually, until March 1, 2012 in order to fulfill the obligations under the present agreements with the consignors, signed by Russian Railways Corporate Transport Service Center (CTSC). Throughout February 2012 requests for freight shipments in gondola cars will be jointly reviewed by Freight One and Russian Railways CTSC, which will allow eliminating  overlapping of  the recipient-oriented distribution of buffer cars.

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The Agent agreement on the transfer of 119,9 thousand of gondola cars, including 74 thousand gondola cars owned by Freight One, and 45,9 thousand of gondola cars, leased by the Company from other owners, under the Russian Railways management was concluded between Freight One and Russian Railways in October 2010. Later the Company acquired another 9 thousand gondola cars, which were brought into operation in accordance with this scheme.

Freight One is the largest rail freight operator in Russia. The Company provides a full range of services for freight transportation. Freight One owns around 190 thousand pieces of rolling stock, including gondola cars, tank cars, flat cars and wagons of other types. The Company's regional network is represented by subsidiaries in 14 cities of Russia, and the international network - in Ukraine and by a joint venture in Finland. The Company's share of the Russian freight shipment volume exceeds 20%.

 Freight One is a part of UCL Rail - a railroad division of the Universal Cargo Logistics Holding (UCL Holding) - an international transportation group. The Group unites several major railway operators with the affiliated network all over the territory of Russia, stevedoring companies in the North-West and the South of the country, as well as Volga Shipping, North-West Shipping and the Western Shipping companies and a number of other shipping and logistic assets.

Independent Transport Company (NTK, owns 75% minus 2 shares of Freight One), NTK-Wagon as well as the wagon repair roundhouse Gryazi - a joint venture with Russian Railways, - are also parts of UCL Rail. UCL Rail owns the fleet of over 218 thousand of freight rail cars, including 100 thousand gondola cars and about 70 thousand tank cars.