The president said that despite the fact that large funds are being spent on the modernization of the regional transport system from the federal budget and from the territorial sources, the basic task - i.e. the creation of the effectively functioning transportation network convenient for citizens and cargo carriers - has not been solved yet.
According to the Russian leader, the current situation in the transport complex of Eastern Russia is far from being ideal. Putin cited the following figures: the share of transportation expenses in the gross product of this region tops 20 per cent with the average nationwide level of 9 percent.
The problem of renewal of rolling stock on Russian railways is also acute today. He also noted that that railways account for more than 60 per cent of freight traffic across the territory of the Russian Far East.
