Russia Approved Subsidies on Freight Car Acquisition

The Russian Government approved regulations of offering budget subsidies for freight car acquisition, the Kommersant reports. Subsidies will be offered in case innovative and deficit freight cars are acquired; no bonus on scrapping an obsolete car is to be offered.

The Government will budget 7 B RUB for freight car renewal “provided that the infrastructure is not affected” and manufacture of specialized freight cars.

A flat subsidy of 300 K RUB per car will be offered although rail operators and Ministry of Economic Development earlier insisted on splitting this amount into acquisition portion and scrapping portion (the latter was to be granted only if an obsolete car was scrapped together with new car acquisition).

The subsidy is to be offered not only to “innovative” freight cars (with 25 t+ axial load and increased life). Subsidies will be granted on deficit cars, too - chemical and foodstuff tank cars, refrigerator cars, power station cars, automobile flat cars and container / contrailer flat cars.