Environmental management framework

Russian Railways’ environmental management framework includes Health, Environmental, Industrial and Fire Safety Policy of the Russian Railways Group, its Environmental Strategy through 2030 with an outlook through 2035, as well as planning, implementation of new processes, control and analysis by the management.

One of the most important focus areas of the Company’s environmental protection efforts is ensuring industrial environmental control and monitoring of the Company’s environmental impact. Russian Railways established an environmental monitoring system that includes stationary and mobile environmental laboratories providing reliable information on the environmental impact of pollutant sources.

The monitoring exercise involves internal environmental audits and inspections in line with corporate requirements. When developing its investment projects, the Company conducts environmental impact surveys for a better understanding of natural and human-related conditions on the site, evaluating the environment and its vulnerability to human impact, forecasts potential changes in the environment due to the construction and operation, and prepares recommendations for preventing environmental disturbance and conducting environmental monitoring.

Russian Railways operates:

56

stationary industrial environmental laboratories

12

train car laboratories

64

motor-vehicle laboratories

The laboratories have up-to-date analytical equipment, as well as express analysis equipment for scheduled and unscheduled site visits to monitor environmental pollution by Russian Railways’ units.

The laboratories collect samples and conduct quantitative chemical analysis of natural and waste water samples, soil, waste, and industrial emissions, measure natural physical factors in residential housing areas and habitable areas.

In 2022, the Company conducted over 167,000 measurements, including more than 74,000 wastewater quality and water treatment equipment efficiency tests, more than 39,000 measurements of pollutant emissions by stationary and mobile sources, over 52,000 screenings of railway infrastructure impact on adjacent territories, and 2,000 soil tests.

Plans for 2023:

• verifying competence of industrial environmental laboratories and expanding their accreditation scope;
• exercising industrial environmental control over air, water, and soil quality, and measurement of natural physical factors as scheduled.

Environmental transparency

As an environmentally responsible company, Russian Railways contributes to the protection of the environment and is committed to voluntary environmental stewardship. As part of its contribution to environmental development, Russian Railways adheres to the principle of transparency and openness by disclosing its environmental strategy and performance in annual sustainable development reports.. To demonstrate its environmental commitment to stakeholders, the Company prepares and publishes annual sustainable development reports.

The Company respects the constitutional right of individuals to have access to information on the environment and seeks to enhance the effectiveness of public control and transparency of data on environmental protection and safety. In 2022, the Company approved its Environmental Transparency Regulations. The Regulations define the principles, forms and transparency requirements for information related the Company’s environmental footprint.

Emergencies with environmental implications

In 2022, the Company’s infrastructure saw no major emergencies with environmental implications.