On December 5, 2013, the Federal Road Agency discussed the issue with representatives of Russian regions during the VII International Forum and Exhibition Transport of Russia in Moscow.
According to a government resolution published in summer, Russia will introduce a distance based toll system on federal highways to ensure that all commercial vehicles over 12 metric tons pay 3.50 rubles ($0.11) per km for the use of federal highways. Net income (after capital and operating costs) will be about $12.8bn annually.
The meeting organizers aimed to explain the specific features of this federal project and its potential influence on regional roads. The regions can introduce similar programs, under which regional road funds will receive the road fees paid by vehicles over 12 metric tons to compensate for the damage they do to the surface of regional roads.
Experts provided their assessment of risks to regional roads based on the European experience, according to which trucks will likely avoid federal toll roads and take instead alternative free regional roads, thereby damaging their road surface and consequently increasing the regional road funds’ spending on repairs. The meeting participants also discussed the technical, legal and financial aspects of the federal project for 12-plus ton vehicles and the possibility of implementing similar projects in the regions.
“The implementation of projects similar to the federal project designed for vehicles over 12 metric tons in the regions will become possible in the near future,” said Albert Eganyan, head of the group of the federal project consultants. “In addition to maintaining the proper quality of road surface in the regions, this project can earn the regional road funds 140 million rubles per 10,000 km of road in additional revenues.”
Project consultants added that the creation of this system does not provide for additional financing from the regions budgets.
Roman Starovoit, head of the Federal Road Agency, chaired the meeting. Albert Eganyan , a partner of VEGAS LEX and head of the federal project consultants group, explained how the project can be implemented in the regions. Reports were delivered byYelena Semyonova, head of the Federal Road Agency’s Public-Private Partnerships Department (the project’s tasks and goals), Ivan Grigorovich, head of the federal pubic enterprise Russian Highways of the Federal Road Agency (technical aspects), Denis Shtirbu, Deputy Head of the PPP & Infrastructure Practice at VEGAS LEX and the project’s legal adviser (legal aspects), and Irina Blokhina, Executive Director of First Infrastructure Company InfraONE, the project’s financial and investment consultant (financial aspects).
Following the December 5 meeting, the Moscow Region government and the group of consultants comprising law firm VEGAS LEX, First Infrastructure Company InfraOne and GLONASS Union signed a contract for the region’s participation in the project to introduce a toll system for heavy vehicles on Moscow Region roads.
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