Electronic trading platforms as a way to increase the efficiency of cargo transportation With the development of electronic trading platforms, it will be easier for small shippers to get involved in the process of transporting goods by rail. This opinion was expressed yesterday by Viktor Voronovich, Deputy General Director for Transport Services of the Central Federal Transport Agency of Russian Railways, during a round table on the topic "Trading platforms and other market mechanisms on the railway 

 According to him, the Center for Branded Transport Services (CFTO) has already initiated the creation of an electronic trading platform for transport services (ETP TU). "We talked with cargo owners in order to find out why the idea of creating an information platform ended in failure. Of course, the site is functioning, but, at the same time, it does not bring any specific result yet. The experience of creating offers led to the idea that when developing such a resource, the most important thing is to provide who will be responsible for the transaction concluded through this resource. Today we are trying to create a legal basis and a settlement infrastructure. That is, now if transactions are concluded on the information base of Russian Railways and with our mediation, we will be the guarantor of transactions. This will be a kind of standardization of the process," he explained.

V. Voronovich also noted that key contracts between the largest shippers and operators are unlikely to be concluded at this site. Largely because the mechanism of working with them has long been debugged. The main problem now is the loss of small shippers. And the electronic trading platform will make rail transportation services more accessible not only for small shippers, but also for small and medium-sized operator companies, returning them to the railway. He also added that Russian Railways has certain projects to simplify the process of concluding contracts with small companies. In addition, the Commercial Infrastructure of the Market (CIR) can become an effective tool.

Earlier, Evgeny Reutov, Deputy Head of the Antimonopoly and Tariff Regulation of Transport and Communications of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, has already announced that a number of modules are operating within the framework of the project, in particular, "Purchase and sale of freight car parts", etc., according to him, KIR will improve the interaction of participants in the railway transportation market, acting as a mechanism for self-regulation of participants in the transportation process. By the way, the task of creating a self-regulatory organization similar to the "Market Council" operating in the electric power industry was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting on the development of the coal industry in Kemerovo back in 2012.

Alexandra Mozharovskaya