Nevskoe Vremya (St. Petersburg), June 25, 2010

VLADIMIR YAKUNIN: "MODERNIZATION SHOULD START IN THE HEADS OF THE YOUNG", Sergei Achildiev

The guest of the Baltic Press Club, the head of Russian Railways, thinks that his duty is to do his best for the people to feel citizens of the economically and spiritually powerful country no matter how far they live. – Vladimir Ivanovich, Russia faces a grandiose task of modernization of the economy now. That is why it is difficult to overestimate the role of the railways that connect all our endless country. How does the railway influence the process of modernization that is actually starting now? – I would mention three factors. The first factor is the railway itself. Development and attracting new technologies like Sapsan, gas turbine locomotive, new locomotives or developing joint production including and first of all such production on the territory of Russia we modernize our own infrastructure. Second, health of the economy in general depends, naturally, on work and activity of the railway transport. This means that we exert influence on modernization of industry and separate enterprises and this is quite obvious. Finally, third, we think that no modernization and no reform is possible if the reform does not happen in the heads of the people and modernization is not carried out by new well trained people dedicated to their business and society. That is why we not only support activity of the Higher School of Management of the St. Petersburg State University, where I am a member of the board of guardians, but also develop our educational programs. Our work is built in a systematic way in accordance with special program "Youth-2030." This program is aimed mostly at additional education and additional opportunities for the youth. Incidentally, recently I participated in acceptance of exams of graduates of an MBA program as a guest professor of the Russian division of Stockholm School of Economics, Russia. I am convinced that professionally trained youth is the basis for further modernization of our country. – Meanwhile, many people are frankly uninterested in modernization. They simply do not need it at least because although an average salary in our country is smaller than in Europe it is much higher than our labor productivity. – The salary should be in strict correspondence to modernization because modernization is exactly growth of productivity. That is why we in RZD have always advocated increase of investments in infrastructure and in our company growth of salaries is stringently connected to growth of labor productivity. We are possibly one of the few biggest Russian companies where this rule is followed so stringently. – One of the real facts of modernization at the railway is Sapsan. However, many residents of St. Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod and Tver regions are discontent with it, first of all, because the schedule of commuter trains has been ruined. – No, the reasons are not Sapsans. We provide more than 2,000 gaps – time for preventive or repair work – daily. Incidentally, this is done in all countries. The schedule of commuter trains is ruined because of this. Very often the problem is also in the fact that passengers are not informed about changes in the schedule on time. If such things happen due to the fault of RZD employees, I punish my subordinates harshly. Believe me, we do not leave a single complaint of passengers without attention. – The problem is not only in schedules but also in tariffs: very much is said about unprofitability of commuter trains now … – Tariffs of commuter trains are regulated not by us but by the regions. If the local authorities believe that purchasing power of their residents is insufficient to pay the economically justified costs of tickets, this means that these authorities should compensate the transport company for the losses … – It seems to me that the question is different. Prices of tickets have been low in the past and now they are much higher but both then and now many passengers do not pay for the ticket. When a controller comes they give him amounts much smaller than the ticket costs and the controller does not give a receipt and puts the money into his pocket demonstratively. How can commuter trains be profitable then? – All this causes my feelings of bitterness and shame, both for the passengers and for those railway employees who do such outrageous things. Our country struggles against corruption systematically. However, somehow only state officials are most often considered to be corrupt people. What you say, isn't it corruption? The matter is about millions of transported passengers! This is mass theft! – Theft from ourselves. If you do not pay for the ticket in a commuter train today, during a trip in a long-distance train tomorrow you will pay additionally for yourself and for an equally dishonest neighbor in the same commuter train. The railway cannot work at a loss. – The matter is not only about this. Bearing losses the railway cannot carry out modernization and replacement of running stock fully. If someone does not pay for the ticket, he should not complain that a railway car is old and traveling in it is uncomfortable. – Let us speak about the tariffs further. From the future year we will stoop subsidizing of passenger transportation at expense of cargo transportation and it is expected that a year later the state may stop subsidizing transportation in open-plan carriages. According to VTSIOM, 56% of Russians are afraid that prices of tickets will grow dramatically as a result of this. – I am afraid of this too. It seems to me that this is an untimely decision. About 70% of our passengers use open-plan cars. No matter how much I wish people to travel in good sleeping cars but we cannot give up open-plan cars yet. Majority of the Russians do not live wealthily yet. – Your remote predecessor Sergei Vitte implemented such system of long-distance cargo transportation in which after a certain distance every next kilometer cost cheaper. Thus, cargo transportation even in Russian spaces turned out to be profitable. Is such system working now? – Yes, of course. The price list is composed in such a way that in case of transportation of cargo for more than 3,000 kilometers the relative cost of a ton of cargo decreases. Hence, there is even a funny store circulating at the railway. Person comes to a ticket office and asks, "Is it true that the further you travel the cheaper the ticket?" He is told, "Yes, it is true." He says, "Then, give me a ticket as far as it is for free." – You are the chair of the board of guardians of the Fund of Andrew the Protocletos. This fund established in 1992 develops the projects aimed at formation of positive attitude to the traditional basics that keep Russia together in the society. The fund works in close cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church that like the railways is one of the most important historic ties of our huge country. In this aspect there is one common denominator in your production and public activity... – Absolutely right. Russia is huge and heading such big company as RZD I think that it is my duty to do my best for the people to feel citizens of the economically and spiritually powerful country no matter how far they live.– Very much is said now about a need for patriotic upbringing but, in my opinion, the quantity of words is much bigger than the quantity of deeds. What is about your fund? – The fund of Andrew the Protocletos is outstanding because we do more than we talk. Here are only two fresh examples. Surveying of the towers of the Moscow Kremlin was done according to our initiative and it was possible to find historic icons on their walls. Last Saturday, a monument to General Admiral Fedor Apraksin was opened in Vyborg. This was done in the framework of the program of the fund called "Serving to the fatherland. Events. Names." Apraksin was an assistance of Peter the Great and prominent military commander. Three hundreds of years ago he took the Vyborg fortress. The monument was opened for the tercentennial jubilee of Russian Vyborg. – Almost a half of the city was present at this celebration. – Probably even more! I stood watching how the monument was opened and suddenly I thought that it would be great if the newly married couples started laying flowers near the Apraksin monument like people traditionally laid flowers near the Copper Horseman in St. Petersburg. As soon as I thought about this, I saw a young couple carrying flowers to the monument and making photos right after it was opened. Afterwards I was told that cars from the local marriage office started moving there simply in a column. In my opinion, all this is patriotic upbringing in deeds and not in words. – People of different ethnic groups and different confessions live in Russia. In one of the interviews you said that Russia was alive primarily due to the dialog of the cultures that continued among the peoples of our country for many centuries … – Yes, there is no doubt about this. There is also no doubt that Russia needs a permanent dialog with cultures of other nations. So was born international public forum "Dialog of civilizations." I am its head too. In Greece we organize an annual conference of the forum, a kind of culmination of the year of activities. We also organize such conferences in different regions. Among the recent conferences were conferences in Cuba and Finland... There are already so many people ready to come to every conference that we even have to limit the quantity of the candidates. The forum became a sight for research of issues of inter-cultural, inter-religious, inter-confession dialog, for consideration of issues of influence of global trends on national and international relations. "Dialog of civilizations" is already a real factor of international life that it taken into account not only by experts but also by the leading positions. The phrase "dialog of civilizations" already turned into a commonly recognized international diplomatic term. – Vladimir Ivanovich, let us turn from the public and production issues to the personal ones. How long does your working day last? – Do you remember a funny army story about a sergeant who has ordered a soldier to dig a trench from a fence until dinner time? I work as much as it is necessary. During the recent international economic forum in St. Petersburg this working day far exceeded midnight. The same happens during business trips. Even in Moscow a working day sometimes transits to night. – And business trips, naturally, happen often … – This is not an appropriate word. Russian Railways are located in nine time zones and consist of 17 railways and I am obliged to visit each of them at least once a year. But there is also international cooperation, which means trips abroad to the colleagues. Unfortunately, I visit Ulan Bator or Czech Republic more often than my native St. Petersburg where, incidentally, I have graduated from the Military Mechanical Institute … By and large, I spend approximately half a year in Moscow and the remaining time I spend in business trips. – Such busy schedule means permanent stress. How do you manage to get rid of them? – By pleasure from life. – What is pleasure from life for you? – This is when you see a little boy who is asked, "What do you wish to be?" and he answers, "A locomotive driver." – "Why? – "Because I am fond of looking forward." – I know that you like reading. Which literature do you prefer? – My generation was brought up at Soviet and foreign science fiction and I remained its fan since the young age. I am interested in novelties in this field still. Along with this, much time is spent now on reading of professional literature … – Do you manage to visit theaters, concerts and exhibitions often? – I have very many friends among artists and actors... So, I visit the premieres and openings of exhibitions but, unfortunately, much less often than in the student years. A student of St. Petersburg was a special category: if we did not visit a cultural event at least once a week, the week was wasted. – Who is the main in your family? – The main? If we have someone the main, these are only grandchildren. When they arrive I have to break my working schedule to be together with them. The wife switches to the grandchildren fully. – When and where do you like to spend vacations? – I like Russian nature. I find the time to indulge in purely men's pleasures, for example, fishing together with my grandson who is already 13, which means that he is already becoming a man. When he grows up a little, I will take him to hunting. I like the sea. If I do not spend at least a week near the sea, I think I have not had any vacations.