Water resources

GRI 303–2

The main goal of Russian Railways in water resources management is to curb water use and reduce wastewater discharges on land and into surface water bodies.

The Company withdraws water from surface and underground sources solely in accordance with the applicable laws (under water use agreements and extraction licences), without causing any significant environmental impact. None of the regions of the Company’s operations are classified as areas with water stress.

Water consumption

GRI 303–5

In 2024, Russian Railways used 59.36 mcm of water, a reduction of 3% (1.83 mcm) y‑o‑y, including 52% for utility and drinking needs (30.65 mcm) and 48% for process needs (28.71 mcm).

In circulating water supply and recycling water supply systems, water consumption in 2024 stood at 2,103,400 cu m and 110,500 cu m respectively.

To ensure sanitary and epidemiological safety for consumers, the Railway Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre performs regular drinking water quality checks at the Company’s facilities.

Russian Railways is implementing a Clear Water project to upgrade railway water supply systems and align the quality of water supplied to consumers with standards set by the Russian sanitation and environmental laws. It is part of Russian Railways’ Programme for Improving Drinking Water Supply at Railways. The programme features the construction of new and renovation of existing water supply networks; the implementation of de‑ironing systems; the procurement and installation of both modular water treatment plants and local industrial water treatment systems.

In 2024, we modernised the drinking water treatment system at the Mayak children’s health camp at Petyayarvi station.

Wastewater discharge

GRI 303–4, 303–2

In 2024, the Company’s wastewater discharge totalled 143.46 mcm, including 31.89 mcm discharged into municipal sewage systems and 111.57 mcm released into the environment.

Key laws and regulations on wastewater discharge and treatment limits followed by the Company:

• Federal Law No. 7‑FZ On Environmental Protection dated 10 January 2002Discharge standards and limits are set forth by the Federal Supervisory Natural Resource Management Service.;
• List of pollutants subject to state regulation in the area of environmental protectionApproved by the Russian Government’s Order No. 2909‑r dated 20 October 2023. Section II contains a list of 265 key substances for which discharges are treated.;
• Order No. 1118 of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment dated 29 December 2020 On Approval of the Methodology for the Development of Standards for Permissible Discharges of Pollutants into Water Bodies for Water Users.

In the reporting year, the Group’s wastewater discharges into surface water bodies and on land amounted to 3.45 mcm, with

• insufficiently treated wastewater coming in at 3.454 mcm;
• untreated wastewater at 0.002 mcm.

As compared to 2023, wastewater discharge went down by 7.2% (target – 3.9%).

As at the end of 2024, the Company’s divisions operate 444 treatment facilities: 302 local and 142 sewage treatment facilities (local treatment facilities discharge to centralised sewerage systems, sewage facilities discharge to the environment), including 302 treatment facilities discharging to disposal networks, 116 discharging to water bodies, and 26 discharging on land.

306 treatment facilities are in satisfactory condition, 70 require overhaul or upgrade, and 68 treatment facilities are currently not operational (mothballed or inoperable).

We primarily treat wastewater for petroleum products, particulate matter, sulphate ion, chloride ion, phosphate ion, iron, nitrite ion, nitrate ion, surfactants, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and ammonium ion.

In 2024, we completed construction and upgrades of four treatment facilities at Orekhovo‑Zuevo and Orel stations (Moscow Railway), Moskovka (West‑Siberian Railway), and Ufa (Kuybyshevskaya Railway) to improve wastewater quality.

2025 targets

For 2025, compared to 2024 results, Russian Railways aims to reduce discharge of polluted wastewater into water bodies and on land by 1.6%.

Approach to setting discharge limits for main pollutants

We establish permissible discharge standards depending on the category of the facility with a negative environmental impact, according to provisions of articles 22 and 31.1 of Federal Law No. 7‑FZ On Environmental Protection dated 10 January 2002.

We develop permissible discharge standards based on the Methodology approved by order No. 1118 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment dated 29 December 2020.

According to paragraph 17 of the Methodology, the regulated substances list includes substances provided for in the list of pollutants subject to state regulation measures in environmental protection, approved by Order No. 2909‑r of the Russian Government dated 20 October 2023, and is formed based on initial information about substance use at specific facilities and analysis of source and wastewater quality data.