Measures that aim to improve the quality of transportation service for consignors

The main criterion for assessing the degree of customer focus by Russian Railways is customer satisfaction, not only in terms of quality, but in terms of the accessibility of the services it offers in all activities.

A system that aims to measure customer loyalty based on the Net Promoter Score (NPS) concept was introduced at the Northern Railway operating domain as a pilot project to monitor the level of customer satisfaction. The system enables a customer to assess the quality of service and Russian Railways to monitor changes in customer opinion concerning the quality of service so it can respond promptly.

After this system was launched, the customer satisfaction level within the Northern Railway operating domain spiked from 14.7% in 2012 to 51.3% in 2015.

Results of systematic work to improve scheduled train traffic technology

Russian Railways conducts systematic work to improve scheduled train traffic technology, including for the purpose of enhancing the quality of transportation service for customers. Delivery time remains a uniform criterion for quality.

Customers have recently shown growing demand for freight transportation services with an agreed departure and arrival time, which makes it possible to optimise the delivery of raw materials and product sales. A total of 23,076 freight trains operated using the agreed departure and arrival time service in 2015, a 59% increase from 2014. Income from the provision of such services totalled RUB 1,502.4 mln. The Company currently has 120 contracts for this service, including 71 contracts signed in 2015. The main clients are: SUEK, Kuzbassrazrezugol Coal Company, Mechel, Sibur Holding and Kuzbass Fuel Company.

Russian Railways concluded 43 contracts with customers in 2015 utilising the Freight Express service (sale of a railcar space in a train running with an agreed departure and arrival schedule). Sales income from this service totalled RUB 16.6 mln, including 5.5 mln for trains comprised of refrigerator cars (44 trains dispatched) and RUB 11 mln for all other trains (228 trains dispatched).

A total of 168 expedited refrigerator trains were dispatched in 2015. The number of trains dispatched increased by 9% to 8,436 units. Income from this type of transportation totalled more than RUB 26 mln.

Overall, the freight train schedule via the railways network was met at a rate of 60.5% in 2015, which is 12.9 p.p. higher than the 2014 indicator.

Plans of business units to boost income

The plans of business units to increase income include the following measures:

• expanding the practice of tariff corridors;
• attracting additional freight to railways from alternative types of transportation;
• developing container and refrigerator shipments;
• organising freight shipments as part of freight trains according to a schedule with an agreed departure and arrival time;
• developing piggyback transportation;
• organising further interaction with Asia-Pacific transportation and logistics companies.