Industrial and fire safety

As part of our sustainable development strategy, in 2024, we actively developed our risk management framework, focusing on the following activities:

• implementing solutions that minimise threats to people and the environment at all stages of our operations;
• enhancing employee competencies through regular training, drills, and certifications in industrial and fire safety;
• fostering a culture of personal accountability where every employee is involved in upholding standards and actively contributes to process safety;
• actively implementing and improving digital monitoring tools, including the Unified Suite for Managing the Company’s Activities in the Field of Environmental Protection, Industrial and Fire Safety, as well as taking preventive measures to mitigate the risks of accidents and emergencies.

Industrial safety of hazardous facilities

Russian Railways focuses on ensuring industrial safety at its hazardous production facilities, which aligns with UN SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

The Company’s Occupational Health and Safety Management System provides a detailed framework for the distribution of functions and responsibilities at all management levels. Operational control covers every process stage at hazardous facilities, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and minimising risks.

Russian Railways operates 5,590 hazardous production facilities, including:

• 571 hazard class 3 facilities;
• 5,019 hazard class 4 facilities.

Thanks to these comprehensive measures, no accidents were recorded at hazardous facilities in 2024, testifying to the effectiveness of our programmes.

Ensuring industrial safety is not only a mandatory requirement for operating hazardous facilities but also a cardinal element of our social responsibility. By mitigating risks to our personnel, the public, and ecosystems, Russian Railways strengthens public trust, enhances infrastructure reliability, and builds a foundation for long‑term growth.

Fire safety

Fire safety is a central element of the Russian Railways sustainability strategy, contributing to the UN SDGs and key focus areas of sustainable (including green) development in Russia.

The Company operates a centralised fire safety management system. Uniform standards for all divisions are maintained through the activities of fire safety commissions at central and regional levels, as well as through close cooperation with the Departmental Security Service of the Railroad Transport of Russia and the EMERCOM of Russia.

In 2024, Russian Railways and the EMERCOM of Russia signed an Agreement on Key Areas of Interaction and Coordination in Fire Prevention, Firefighting, and Emergency Rescue Operations, strengthening interagency collaboration to minimise threats to people, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

Fire trains: technology and social responsibility

A total of 311 Russian Railways fire trains are on standby 24/7. They are not only part of our corporate protection system but also a vital national resource. The fire trains are integrated into the single public system for emergency prevention and response and provide assistance in:

• extinguishing fires at railway facilities (73 responses in 2024);
• protecting the railway infrastructure (59 incidents);
• emergency response operations (67 operations);
• assisting the EMERCOM in fighting natural and anthropogenic fires beyond Russian Railways infrastructure (369 responses).

As part of the Fire Safety project, we continue to modernise our fleet: in 2024, we acquired five MTSO 2‑based pump wagons, which improve response times and reduce environmental risks. Process automation through the Fire Safety modules of the Unified Suite for Managing the Company’s Activities in the Field of Environmental Protection, Industrial and Fire Safety enables us to predict threats, optimise resources, and minimise our impact on ecosystems.

In the long run, the Company intends to develop green firefighting technologies, more extensively apply big dataBig data is an approach to data management and analysis that enables the processing of large and complex datasets to generate real‑time analytics and predictive insights. for risk analysis, and engage employees in creating a culture of responsible safety stewardship.

Introduction of state‑of‑the‑art emergency response measures

Russian Railways is a member of a single public system for emergency prevention and response and actively employs modern and advanced technologies to respond to all types of natural and man‑made threats, including:

• management system functioning at all levels (federal, regional, and site‑based) and easily adaptable to different kinds of threats, which covers government bodies, control points, communication and liaison systems and ensures successful functioning of a vertically integrated and territorially dispersed network of governance bodies;
• emergency and recovery teams with modern equipment (cranes with a lifting capacity of 150 t or more, 50 t winch heavy bulldozers, hydraulic machinery made of light metals);
• unmanned aerial vehicles with mobile video conference tools as the fastest‑moving means of information collection and transfer in emergency situations;
• integration of Russian Railways’ information systems with the automated information and management system of the single public system for emergency prevention and response.