Local communities and charity

In many regions, the Company is a major employer and taxpayer.

Management responsibilities related to contacts with local communities are distributed among several business units of Russian Railways’ Executive Office, including:

• Corporate Communications Department for Charitable and Social Activities;
• Department for Federal and Regional Government Relations (in matters related to the operation and development of rail transport);
• HR Department (focusing on the comprehensive youth policy, specifically contacts with educational institutions, including universities, schools, and pre‑school facilities);
• Social Development Department (in matters related to the implementation of corporate social projects, contacts with culture and sports institutions, and organisation of awareness‑raising, sporting, and other events).

Corporate documents:

• Russian Railways’ Charity and Sponsorship Policy;
• Russian Railways’ Code of Business Ethics;
• Russian Railways’ Youth Target Programme for 2021–2025;
• framework agreements with regions of operation;
• medium term agreements on social and economic cooperation.

Cooperation with local communities

The details of cooperation with local communities are set out in partnership and collaboration agreements signed with Russian regions to support rail transport, social, and economic development. There are two types of such agreements – framework (perpetual contracts formalising the key aspects of cooperation) and medium term agreements (focusing on the key areas of cooperation with amendments made when and if needed: cooperation in transportation services for the public and industrial enterprises in the regions, joint projects, development of railway infrastructure, ensuring transport safety and socio‑economic growth). So far, Russian Railways and Russian regions have entered into 78 framework agreements. In 2023, 14 medium‑term agreements were entered into with Tatarstan and the Komi Republic, the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous Area, Primorye and Krasnodar territories, as well as the Vologda, Kostroma, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Sakhalin, Bryansk, Volgograd, and Saratov regions.

In its regions of operations, Russian Railways is actively involved in socially focused charity in line with the objectives and principles set out in its Charity and Sponsorship Policy. The Company builds relations with local communities based on respect for their rights and freedoms and does not tolerate any forms of discrimination or infringement.

Contribution to local communities

Russian Railways is the largest taxpayer to local treasuries and Russia’s biggest employer. The Company is also the largest consumer of goods produced by Russian businesses, with its orders providing employment to an average of 0.1–1.5% of labour force in the Russian regions hosting transport engineering hubs.

Russian Railways is responsible for long‑haul and suburban passenger traffic and freight traffic (including such critical transportation operations as the Northern Supply Haul and shipment of commodities from the regions producing raw materials). The Company also maintains local social infrastructure, effectively acting in the capacity of a government agency. In some regions, for example, Archangelsk, Amur, and Tomsk, there are destinations where railway remains the only available type of transportation. The Company and its subsidiaries are the main providers of suburban passenger transportation in Russia. They are integrating suburban transport into urban transport systems and actively developing multi‑modal routes and transport interchange hubs to enhance the mobility of urban population.

Russian Railways’ investment programme for 2021–2023 focuses on developing and upgrading the railway infrastructure and promoting high‑speed and ultra high‑speed railway transportation.

Improving the quality of life in local communities

Russian Railways contributes to the creation of new jobs across its footprint and the implementation of social projects to improve the quality of life in local communities.

To align with the country’s national development goals and advance our strategic objectives regarding social welfare of employees and their families, as well as non‑employed retirees, Russian Railways collaborates with regional governments to execute a joint programme aimed at community development, particularly in areas where our employees reside. The plan is designed to improve the quality of life in local communities. It is of particular relevance for inhabited areas located far away from administrative capitals.

The plan sets out 418 initiatives to be implemented in 2021–2035 in 70 localities from 34 Russian regions. These initiatives focus on improvements in culture, sports, healthcare, education, and social environment. Some 246 initiatives are expected to be financed by the governments of Russian regions, with 134 funded by the Company, including 31 on co‑financing terms and seven financed by third parties.

In 2023, 29 initiatives were completed, of which fifteen were funded by Russian Railways. These included:

• improving the area adjacent to the sports and fitness centre, incorporating a multi‑purpose sports ground at Lyangasovo railway station (Kirov);
• constructing a dual‑purpose volleyball and basketball court equipped with outdoor exercise machines at Irtyshskoye railway station;
• renovating the outpatient clinic of the Nizhneangarskaya Central District Hospital in the town of Kichera.

The plan’s implementation on the railways is coordinated by working groups chaired by the first deputy heads of the railways and also involving relevant heads of the railway governance body, structural units of branches, and representatives of the Russian regions.

In addition to the community development plan with a focus on local communities where Russian Railways’ employees live, the Company is implementing three other target programmes to develop social infrastructure and improve the quality of life of its employees:

• national programme for the socio‑economic development of the Far East until 2024 and further until 2035;
• Far Eastern Railway as an Accelerated Development Domain (programme until 2025);
• Plan to Attract and Retain Personnel at Russian Railways’ Facilities along the Baikal–Amur Mainline.

Protecting public health in the regions of operation

The RZD‑Medicine network takes active steps to enhance the accessibility and quality of healthcare for local communities.

A total of 47% of RZD‑Medicine healthcare facilities serve communities of up to 100,000 residents. Among these, ten healthcare institutions are the sole providers of compulsory health insurance services in their respective locations.

To boost access to first medical aid and patient satisfaction, fourteen mobile medical units are operational. They offer services including medical screenings, check‑ups, vaccinations, and health checks for foreign nationals, capable of conducting up to 336,000 examinations annually.

2023 highlights

• Hospital trains were put in place. The Saint Luke (Voyno‑Yasenetsky) mobile medical centre is a significant public‑private partnership initiative between Russian Railways and the Krasnoyarsk Region Government established to tackle regional healthcare challenges. The project delivered consultative medical assistance to communities of 37 railway stations across the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 2023.
• By 2030, to address demographic concerns and encourage higher birth rates, plans are underway to establish 15 family counselling centres as part of the RZD‑Medicine network. These centres will focus on joint health consultations for couples. Currently, five centres of this type are open in Moscow, Smolensk, Rostov‑on‑Don, Severobaikalsk, and Ulan‑Ude.
• Medical outreach campaign. The project covers four railways – East‑Siberian, Northern, Trans‑Baikal, and Far Eastern. As part of the campaign, preventive medical examinations and consultations by specialty doctors were carried out in remote and sparsely populated locations where no medicine specialists are routinely available.
• In 71 medical outreach trips, over 5,100 individuals received health examinations. More than 6,700 specialist consultations were provided, alongside over 4,800 diagnostic tests (including ultrasonography, ECG, blood tests, radiography, mammography, endoscopies, etc.). Twenty patients benefited from surgical interventions.

Diabetes mellitus, increasingly posing a grave global threat, demands urgent attention. Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable, and complications can be significantly mitigated with a comprehensive understanding of causes and effective preventative strategies. Our campaign prioritised the early detection of Type 2 diabetes, accounting for 95% of diabetes cases, and aimed to educate the general public on preventative measures, risk factors, and bolster health literacy. Participants benefited from thorough screening, encompassing laboratory and imaging tests, and supplementary consultations with specialists in endocrinology, cardiology, and oncology. Upon assessment completion, all individuals received detailed health reports, tailored advice on reducing risk factors, and a wellness improvement plan. Referrals to specialty doctors were provided when necessary. Beyond mere medical outreach, the Health Train represents a tangible commitment to enhancing national health.

Elena Zhidkova Head of the Central Healthcare Directorate at Russian Railways

Charity

In 2023, our charity initiatives focused on:

• providing financial support to Baikal–Amur towns and population centres in connection with upcoming events to mark its anniversary;
• implementation of social projects and activities to support the infrastructure of Tynda;
• financing expensive surgical treatment, medication, and rehabilitation of Russian Railways employees, including those retired, providing social support for victims of natural disasters or other calamities, promoting family values;
• promoting education, facilitating vocational education and improving education quality through financial help to sectoral universities and vocational schools, providing equipment and samples for laboratory classes;
• providing assistance to children’s organisations, supporting people with physical disabilities and people with incurable and life‑limiting illnesses;
• supporting charitable projects for restoration and conservation of Russian historical and architectural landmarks, including churches and monasteries of cultural and historical significance;
• supporting environment‑related causes;
• implementation of projects to advance mass sports, physical training and healthy lifestyle: assistance to the Become a Champion fund for supporting physical training and sports and allocation of funds for improving the Lokomotiv Stadium in Nizhneudinsk;
• supporting the organisation of the national children’s competition Lokoball (football), Lokobasket – School League (basketball), and Lokovolley (volleyball);
• promoting healthy lifestyle, children’s and mass sports, including by providing support for the Locomotive ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl, Locomotive‑Kuban professional basketball team, Locomotive‑Novosibirsk volleyball team, Lokomotiv Russian Fitness and Sports Society, Kuban‑Region Sports Club, Krasnodar Territory’s Basketball Federation, and Locomotive‑Kaliningrad Region volleyball team.

Children and youth policy

Russian Railways for schoolchildren

Russian Railways’ educational system encompasses an entire range of educational institutions – from pre‑school to higher education facilities. The Company supports 98 educational establishments (77 kindergartens and 21 RZD schools) attended by more than 22,000 children.

To attract young people motivated to pursue railway professions and specialities, Russian Railways offers systematic career guidance to schoolchildren and students. In 2023, over 80,000 children took part in the Company’s educational and vocational navigation projects.

Russian Railways has 26 children’s railways, which can be called unique career guidance centres in Russia. The number of young talents enrolled in children’s railways in 2022 was almost 17,000 children aged 11–17. Children’s railways feature six RZD Kvantorium modern science parks for children that encourage innovative thinking and strengthen IT competencies. Children science parks are designed as hi‑tech platforms for training young highly skilled engineers, and developing, testing and implementing cutting‑edge technologies and ideas.

To help children get a better understanding of Russian Railways, the Company launched RZD class, an educational project offering a wide range of opportunities, including more than 20 learning and professional guidance activities. The hub schools participating in the project have railway engineering classes with in‑depth study of physics, mathematics and computer science and a focus on career guidance and patriotic education. By the end of 2023, RZD classes were available in 106 educational institutions from 42 Russian regions.

Nine cadet classes were inaugurated at Russian Railways schools, enrolling 174 students, of whom 95% are children of the Company’s employees. The initiative is geared towards offering children excelling academically and residing in remote railway locations a chance to pursue enhanced educational opportunities.

In the modern educational system, aspiring engineers need to be professionals with highly developed research, design, and entrepreneurial skills. That is why all of the Company’s projects and programmes for young talents nurture innovative and creative approaches in children, while also teaching them how to conduct research and complete design assignments.

Partnership with universities

Russian Railways actively cooperates with nine sectoral universities across Russia. Under the Programme of Russian Railways’ Interaction with Railway Universities until 2025 the Company works to upgrade the universities’ infrastructure and R&D capabilities, streamline learning processes and improve the skills of university management and professors, with a total of 173 Russian Railways venues established across partner universities since the programme’s launch, including classrooms, branded zones, and simulator rooms.

As a result of the 2023 admissions campaign, 5,700 students were enrolled in educational institutions under contracts with Russian Railways, with the total number of Russian Railways’ students reaching 26,700.

Backed by Russian Railways, universities actively engage in various federal initiatives. Key programmes include:

• Professionalitet. Focused on transforming the secondary vocational education landscape, twelve railway clusters were established, welcoming over 1,600 targeted students.
• Priority 2030, a strategic academic leadership programme. Three universities are participating: Emperor Alexander I St Petersburg State Transport University, Far Eastern State Transport University, Russian University of Transport (MIIT). The project contributes to the attainment of Russia’s national development goals by 2030.
• Innovative Engineering Schools. Since 2023, two transport universities (Russian University of Transport (MIIT) and Emperor Alexander I St Petersburg State Transport University) have been involved in this initiative.

We continued collaborating with Russian Student Squads Nationwide Youth Public Organisation, resulting in the establishment of the Action‑Minded People movement among railway transport student teams. Approximately 13,000 students participated in the Nationwide Labour Semester, with 10,200 engaged in service, teaching, medical, and conductor teams, and 2,600 in construction roles.