PJSC TransContainer (part of Delo Group) has set forth an agenda to propel development of its terminal and logistics centers in Western Siberia. The culmination of these projects is poised to yield a threefold increase in capacity within 2.5 years, catapulting it to 936,000 TEUs annually, a substantial upgrade from the existing 380,000 TEUs. This revelation emerged from the speech of the company's First Vice President, Victor Markov, at the "PRO//Motion.Siberia" transport and logistics conference held in Novosibirsk.

Markov's assessment underscores the drivers behind the demand for TLC (Terminal and Logistics Center) services in the region. It stems not only from the company's expanding cargo base but also from the persistent disbalance between imports and exports in container logistics, a trend poised to extend until 2030. In tandem, the utilization of open box-cars as a mechanism for harmonizing transportation flows and facilitating the transportation of imports from the Far East also plays a role in this equation.

“Last year import transportation experienced a robust 25% upswing from August to December. In contrast, exports displayed signs of stagnation, even experiencing a modest recession which resulted in an export-import traffic imbalance, which was most prominent in the ports of the Far East. Presently, import shipments outpace their export counterparts by nearly 300 thousand TEUs per year, a trend anticipated to persist until 2030, after which equilibrium is projected to be restored, as per our estimates,” said First Vice President of the company.

Victor Markov further clarified that the great share of containers in open box-cars (estimated at approximately 130 thousand TEUs in 2023) are destined for Western Siberia regions, with about 75 thousand TEUs directed towards Sverdlovskaya and Yuzhno-Uralskaya Railways, and about the same volume goes to the Moscow region. 

“Currently the containers are transported from the Far Eastern ports to these regions in open box-cars for transshipment, and the main reason for this is certain shortage in transshipment capacity from open box-cars to fitting platforms in Western Siberia. Nevertheless, with forthcoming developments in transshipment infrastructure, it is anticipated that container shipments in open box-cars to Sverdlovskaya, Yuzhno-Uralskaya and Moskovskaya Railways will reduce,” he believes.

Victor Markov esteems that expanding terminals in Siberia will lead to enhancing the efficiency of rolling stock utilization and shortening empty runs, since after container unloading, the vast majority of open box-cars are dispatched for further loading to Western Siberia, including the Kuzbass region.

TransContainer's current footprint encompasses three sites within the territory of Zapadno-Sibirskaya Railway - Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Barnaul. A major reconstruction is already underway at Kleshchikha station terminal in Novosibirsk, poised to elevate its processing capacity from 283,000 TEUs to 395,000 TEUs by 2024. Termination of comprehensive reconstruction in 2025 will propel the terminal's capacity to 500,000 TEUs. Notably, the Omsk site is poised for expansion, with an expected twofold surge in its current capacity, reaching 110,000 TEUs per annum from the existing 51,000 TEUs.

Beyond existing facilities renovation, PJSC TransContainer has blueprints to build a new terminal in Yurga, situated within the Kemerovo region. This facility is destined to serve as a key hub for transshipping containers from open box-cars transporting imports from the Far East to flatcars platforms, facilitating their onward journey inland.

In September 2023, during the Eastern Economic Forum, Sergey Shishkarev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delo Group, and Sergey Tsivilev, Governor of Kuzbass, formalized a cooperative agreement aimed at advancing the terminal infrastructure of the transportation holding in the region.

“We have negotiated with open box-cars owners to ascertain the optimal site for the container terminal. The construction and installation works are planned to commence in April 2024, with the launch of the first block trains anticipated within a year thereafter. This terminal will be dedicated to the transshipment of containers from open box-cars, while Kleshchikha terminal will focus on local cargo,” noted Victor Markov during the conference in Novosibirsk.