The average speed of Russia’s freight trains in 2011 fell to 10.3 km/h, making them slower than bicycles, the state railways operator Russian Railways or RZhD, said in its annual report released on Thursday.
The figure is 1.05 km/h lower than that in 2010, the report noted.
In China, freight trains routinely go at a speed of up to 60 km/h.
Ageing locomotives and infrastructure were the chief reason for the drop in average speed and delays that cost the firm millions of rubles in lost revenue, RZhD said.
Distraught shippers have claimed more than 7 billion rubles ($216 million) in damages, the company said.