BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 31. Railway
administrations from 12 countries gathered in Tashkent on October
30 for the 35th Tariff Conference of participants in the Tariff
Agreement of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Georgia,
Latvia, and Estonia to discuss freight rates for international rail
transportation in 2027.
According to the Uzbekistan Railways, the conference, hosted by
Uzbekistan, brought together tariff specialists from national
railway administrations and representatives of the CIS Railway
Transport Council Directorate.
The main objective of the meeting was to review and approve
railway freight tariffs for the 2027 freight year, which will apply
to international rail transportation.
Discussions focused on developing tariff conditions that balance
the interests of cargo owners and railway operators while
maintaining the competitiveness of rail transport against
alternative modes of transportation.
Opening the conference, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of
Uzbekistan Railways Khikmatulla Rakhmetov emphasized the role of
competitive pricing in attracting freight volumes to the railway
network.
"Tariffs today are not simply figures; they are one of the main
instruments for redirecting freight flows from other modes of
transport to rail," he said.
Rakhmetov added that a balanced, forward-looking and
market-oriented approach to tariff formation could contribute to
faster growth in rail freight transportation.
Moreover, participants discussed the importance of establishing
a pricing framework that takes into account the interests of both
freight shippers and railway operators, while supporting the
long-term development of international rail connections.
