Climate change risks

The Company pays special attention to climate change risks, analysing the climate change impact and taking it into account when planning its activities.

The key potential threat to the Company’s business is the growing number of meteorological hazards that jeopardise railway operations, including heavy rains and snowfalls, very low and high temperatures, extreme temperature swings, glaze, rime and greater impact of dangerous hydrological phenomena, such as spring floods and freshets. The Company regularly assesses climate risks and develops response measures to mitigate them. Russian Railways is regularly exposed to the following anthropogenic and natural external risks:

• damage and accidents at sites supporting the Company’s operations;
• industrial accidents involving associated transport modes (primarily in sea port water areas and at highways);
• fires and natural disasters in the Company’s areas of operation.
• more frequent hydrometeorological hazards (frost, heat, snowfall, heavy rainfall);
• natural phenomena affecting the railway infrastructure more frequently (washaway, landslide, washout of slopes, rockfalls, etc.).

To mitigate these risks to infrastructure, the Company constructs various strengthening solutions (anti-washout slab covers, rock dumping, rock anchorage) and structures for the protection of the track bed from natural hazards (such as mudflows, landslides, avalanches and rockfalls).