The events in Ukraine reduced the flow of the passengers using Russian Railway's services, Oleg Nikitin, Deputy Director General of the Federal Passenger Company (subsidiary of Russian Railways) told ArmInfo during the 15th meeting of the CIS Council for Rail Transport (CRT) Passenger Commission, which started on March 4 in Yerevan.
He said that the passenger flow with the CIS countries has dropped by 45%, which is "an immense reduction". The events in Ukraine have also restricted the travel behavior. "I hope this is a temporary phenomenon. The situation will shortly change for the better, I hope", he said.
The exchange rate fluctuations have also played a role in reduction of international passenger flow. In response to the rise of the Swiss franc (CHF) rate, the company and its partners from Belarus reduced the tariff by 30%. The issue is also being discussed with Baltic and other countries, including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. "The company is ready to consider all suggestions", stressed Nikitin.
To note, Russian Railways pays for the foreign infrastructure in CHF. Experts say that if the average rise in CHF exchange rate has been 30% over the past three months, the prices will grow by 30%. This will certainly affect the costs of cargo transportation and passenger operations.