MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Container traffic over the Russian Railways network surged by 11.1% year-on-year to 1.248 mln TEU [20 ft container equivalent - TASS] in January - February 2024, the Russian railway operator says.

"In January - February 2024, 1.248 mln laden and empty TEU were carried in all kinds of services over the network of Russian Railways, which is 11.1% above the like period in 2023," Russian Railways said.

504,100 TEU were shipped in the domestic traffic (+18.2%). The number of laden container dispatched in all kinds of the service moved up by 8.4% to 895,100 TEU (with 12.9 mln metric tons of cargo transported, up 9.3%).

The increase was the highest in container traffic of chemicals and soda ash - 133,900 TEU, up 0.4% annually, lumber - 88,500 (+0.8%), and chemical and mineral fertilizers - 76,300 (growth by 1.7 times).

The container traffic over the Russian Railways network surged by 13.5% in February 2024, Russian Railways said. There was also set a record of shipping imported containers from the Far East, totaling 3,500 TEU per day, and in exports of containers in open railcars - 1,680 TEU per day.