Priority of transporting petroleum products via rail still on agenda, Russian govt discussing it

MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) - The issue of prioritizing rail transportation of petroleum products will remain relevant and continues to be discussed within the government, President of the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) Igor Artemyev told journalists.

"For its part, the exchange is doing everything possible and arguing that fuel should remain in the third priority group for access to transportation via RZD [Russian Railways]. We explain this by the fact that the country has a large domestic demand for petroleum products, and the entire fuel cycle is structured in such a way that a stable supply of petroleum products is crucial for oil depots. As far as I know, this issue [the priority of transporting fuel by railway] continues to be discussed within the government, and we expect a decision soon," he said.

As previously reported, from January 1, 2025, the temporary rules for transportation on the Russian Railways network, in which the priority of transporting petroleum products via rail was raised to the 3rd group, are no longer in effect. Currently, fuel has returned to the sixth group.