Kazakhstan’s Parliament ratifies single railway tariffs within the Single Economic Space

June 2 Kazakhstan’s Parliament ratified the agreement on single railway tariffs within the Single Economic Space, Tengrinews.kz reported. According to the respective Committee of the Senate, the agreement seeks to lay single legal framework for state regulation of the railway sector and access to the services for entities of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. Single tariffs for transit freights to be introduced January 1, 2013 will reduce transport expenses for Kazakhstan’s consignors. According to Senator Edilbay Imankulov, who unveiled the agreement, “ratification will provide Kazakhstan with an access to one of the lengthiest railways, with the new tariffs ensuring competitive ability of Kazakhstan’s goods in Russia, East Europe and West Europe”. The agreement is only applicable to freights and does not cover passenger traffic.