Russia's transport system is on the verge of a qualitative upgrade — digitalization is becoming a key tool for the transformation of the industry. The introduction of modern technologies will improve transportation efficiency, reduce bureaucracy and burden on infrastructure, and the overall economic effect is estimated at 1.5 trillion rubles by 2035.
According to Rosstat, in the first half of 2025, the cargo turnover of transport in Russia amounted to 2.77 trillion tkm. At the same time, rail transport accounted for about 1.25 trillion tkm, road transport — 197 billion, sea transport — 27 billion, air transport — 0.8 billion, and pipeline transport — 1.27 trillion tkm. These figures indicate high loads and the distribution of cargo flows between different modes of transport.
One of the main objectives of the Efficient Transport System national project is precisely the digital transformation of logistics processes and infrastructure: the reconstruction of railways and ports, the development of shipping and river routes, and the strengthening of the role of the Northern Sea Route.
The transition to electronic transport documents is becoming a key direction in the modern transformation of the industry. Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin stressed at the Digital Transportation 2025 forum that the future of multimodal transportation is impossible without the introduction of digital technologies and system unification.
In addition, Federal Law No. 140‑FZ dated 06/07/2025 will make electronic document management mandatory for road, rail and air transport, as well as for forwarding services, starting from September 1, 2026. As part of this reform, it will be necessary to electronically issue road waybills, order orders, railway waybills and forwarding documents (with the exception of certain cases determined by the Ministry of Transport).
At the moment, the State Information System of Electronic Transportation Documents (GIS EPD) is functioning. The system allows the exchange of legally significant electronic invoices, simplifies document management, eliminates paper forms and speeds up the exchange of information between participants in transportation. During its operation, the turnover of documents in GIS EPD has grown to 1.5 million documents per month — proof that this platform is already in demand by the market.
One of the interesting innovations is the possibility of reserving border crossing time when leaving Russia via truck routes, which is already in effect at some checkpoints — Zabaikalsk, Bugristoe, Chernyshevskoye, Tagirkent-Kazmalyar, Verkhny Lars. This reduces downtime and makes transportation more predictable.
The key advantages of digitalization include reducing the number of paperwork errors, reducing the need for paper archives, speeding up payments, more transparent cargo traceability, and reducing operational risks. Government agencies will also have access to real-time operational data, which contributes to improved monitoring and analytics.
However, there are challenges on the path of digital transformation. Not all market participants are ready for rapid migration to electronic document management — technical and financial barriers, fragmented systems and uneven digital maturity of companies can make the transition difficult. Platform flexibility will also be required to accommodate different data formats and minimize penalties for procedural errors.
Nevertheless, according to experts, the transition will be gradual, with stages of implementation, testing and adaptation. The digitalization measures already announced are one of the fundamental steps towards creating a modern, sustainable and competitive transport system in Russia.
