Discussion on Increasing Freight Railway Tariffs

Starting from 1 January 2026, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia plans to raise freight transportation tariffs by 27%, followed by an additional 11% increase six months later. This initiative has sparked considerable debate among representatives of various business sectors that are direct clients of Ukrzaliznytsia. One such discussion took place on the LB.Talks platform of LB.ua.

What should freight tariffs look like to avoid harming businesses while ensuring the railway receives sufficient resources? And why does this issue once again highlight the need to reform the entire sector? These questions were discussed by:

• Oleksii Sobolev – Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
• Oleksandr Pertsovskyi – Chairman of the Board of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia
• Dmytro Natalukha – Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development
• Oleh Khomenko – CEO of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club
• Hlib Vyshlinskyi – Director of the Centre for Economic Strategy

Key points highlighted during the discussion

● Ukraine still lacks a comprehensive transport policy. It should be developed by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development. Based on such a framework, an independent regulator could set well-grounded tariffs.

● The unprofitability of passenger transport has become evident. This requires strategic decisions and a sustainable financing mechanism.

● The Ministry of Economy recognises gaps in the current pricing system and supports revising the Freight Tariff Manual to ensure a fairer distribution across all industries.

● The business sector proposes aligning tariffs for all freight classes with their actual cost price and is open to dialogue on implementing fair tariffs.

● JSC Ukrzaliznytsia is ready to discuss redistributing the planned tariff increase among different tariff classes. A tariff reform should be developed by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, with the involvement of industry associations and a clear timeline.

More details can be found on the LB.ua website in the LB.Talks section or via the link:
https://lb.ua/economics/2025/11/26/708752_pidvischennya_tarifiv_uz.html

LB.ua (“Left Bank”) is one of Ukraine’s leading independent media outlets, covering socio-political developments since 2009.
LB.Talks is a professional discussion platform for addressing current challenges and identifying solutions. It was launched in Kyiv on 24 June 2025.

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