Fluctuation of the currency rate must not have any significant impact on railway tickets in CIS. The state came from Gennady Verkhovikh, Head of the Passenger Traffic Department at the Russian Railways OJSC, who is attending the meeting of the CIS Council for Rail Transport (CRT) Passenger Commission that commended in Yerevan today, on March 4.
At the request of ArmInfo, Verkhovikh commented on the Swiss franc rate - international railway tariffs are linked to it - saying fluctuation of the Swiss currency has a negative effect on the railway communication. "Today, we are observing a downward trend of passenger transportation both in the post- Soviet area and with Europe," he said.
To recall, the Swiss franc exchange rate against US dollar for the mid- Jan 2015 rose from 0.97 to 1.17, then began to fall within February and now averages 1.04.
"That is why the Federal Passenger Company OJSC (subsidiary of the Russian Railways) is making contracts with partners to reduce ticket prices. Our colleagues from the neighbors countries show understanding," Verkhovikh said. "For instance, we have made an agreement with Belarus to reduce the tariffs by some 30% for various destinations. Similar agreements are anticipated with the Baltic states," he said.