Stakeholder engagement

GRI2‑29

At Russian Railways, we know that trust and open dialogue help to respond promptly to expectations and demands and strengthen our reputation as a responsible company.

Stakeholder engagement principles:

  • transparent, reliable, and complete information about the Company’s operations;
  • focus on both external and internal stakeholders, such as employees;
  • a balanced and all‑inclusive approach to stakeholder interests, and prompt response to stakeholder concerns, most importantly, when it comes to government tariff regulation and active introduction of innovation.

Employees

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Decent pay and benefits
  • Equal professional and career growth opportunities
  • Protection of human and civil rights in line with the Russian law
  • Occupational health and technosphere safety
  • Professional training and development opportunities
  • Ensuring decent pay
  • Additional social benefits available under the collective bargaining agreement
  • Establishing an efficient human capital training and development system
  • Ensuring occupational health and technosphere safety
  • Transparency and efficient feedback
  • Comfortable working environment and equal opportunities
  • Environmental education and awareness raising for all staff members
  • Russian Railways’ Employee Service Portal (blogs, chat, news feed, Active Worker channel, surveys, and Questions to Management line)
  • Communications events
  • Corporate messengers and social media
  • Forums and trade union meetings
  • Employee hotline A single point of access to information for reports on social and HR issues
  • Social surveys
  • Townhall and personal management meetings
  • E‑mail communications
  • Corporate media (including the Gudok newspaper, RZD TV)
  • Education at the Corporate University of Russian Railways
Employees

Passengers

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Fair and reasonable pricing
  • Accessible, comfortable, and reliable services
  • Railway safety
  • User‑friendly services
  • Compliance with environmental and social responsibility standards and best practices
  • High‑quality and safe services
  • Competitive pricing
  • Railway station services
  • Passenger transportation services
  • Catering on board
  • Passenger satisfaction surveys
  • Compliance with regulations
  • Russian Railways Customer Support Centre
  • Service Center for Railway Passengers / Service Center of Russian Railways
  • Passenger surveys and interviews at railway stations
  • Enquiries via the mobile app
  • Russian Railways’ website
  • Surveys on the website and on Sapsan trains
  • Passenger satisfaction surveys
  • Personal meetings with the public

Suppliers, contractors, and business partners

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Compliance with contractual obligations
  • Transparent selection process
  • Ethical approach to doing business
  • Building a cluster of suppliers (contractors) meeting the Company's key procurement needs
  • Alignment of procurement with applicable laws and regulations
  • Selection of qualified suppliers (contractors)
  • Recognition and assessment of environmental requirements for products, raw materials and supplies purchased by Russian Railways’ business units
  • Electronic trading and procurement platform
  • Conferences, forums, industry unions and associations
  • Supplier hotline
  • Russian Railways’ website

Freight customers

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Fair and reasonable pricing
  • High‑quality products and services
  • Uninterrupted supply of goods and services
  • User‑friendly services
  • Compliance with HSE standards
  • High‑quality and safe services
  • Competitive pricing
  • Basic freight transportation services
  • Transportation and logistics services related to basic freight transportation services, including public railway infrastructure services
  • Russian Railways’ information services
  • Customer satisfaction surveys
  • Introduction of sustainability best practices
  • Calculation of the cost and environmental impact of freight transportation
  • Non‑financial reporting
  • Unified Freight Transportation Call Centre, part of Russian Railways Customer Support Centre
  • Customer’s personal account
  • RZD‑Gruz 2.0 mobile app
  • Freight section of the Russian Railways website
  • Sales offices
  • RZD Market platform
  • Freight Transportation electronic trading platform
  • ETRAN system for transportation documents
  • Shipper satisfaction surveys
  • Dedicated chat rooms for businesses operating in key industries and critical transportation areas

Shareholders, investors, and rating agencies

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Economic and financial stability
  • Funding and delivering green/environmental and social projects
  • Focus on solvency and compliance with contractual obligations
  • Solid reputation
  • Corporate governance excellence
  • Credit quality
  • Transparency of information and disclosure of key facts
  • Prudent dividend policy
  • Financial reporting (RAS and IFRS)
  • Annual public non‑financial reporting on the Company’s operations (Annual Report and Sustainable Development Report)
  • Timely disclosure of key information on the Russian Railways’ website and on the websites of accredited news agencies
  • Open dialogue and efficient feedback
  • Disclosure of information on the Company’s operations on the interagency portal for state property management
  • Corporate reporting and disclosure
  • Conferences and investor meetings
  • E‑mails, conference calls and video conferences
  • Regular working meetings at various levels
  • Disclosures on the website, including through press releases
  • Rating agency questionnaires

Government authorities

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Statutory compliance
  • Timely payment of taxes
  • Social and economic development of local communities
  • Reducing environmental impact
  • Uninterrupted cargo and passenger transportation
  • Statutory compliance and contribution to improving the legislative framework related to the Company’s operations
  • Transparency of tax payments and tax disclosures
  • Accessible and comfortable transport services
  • Development of investment projects and infrastructure, including projects designed to reduce the Company’s environmental footprint
  • Cooperation with federal and regional authorities
  • Regional economic development, including investment projects, procurement, and new jobs
  • Annual public non‑financial reporting on the Company’s operations (Annual Report and Sustainable Development Report)
  • Corporate reporting and disclosure
  • Input to the law‑making process
  • Social and economic cooperation agreements with local authorities
  • Regular working meetings, transport coordination boards, committees, etc.
  • Participation in federal and regional events
  • Organising train days

Community partners

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Open and meaningful dialogue
  • Enabling a socially beneficial environment
  • Social protection of employees and retirees
  • Engagement with national and international NGOs as regards achieving the UN SDGs
  • Joint events with national and international NGOs
  • Consideration of initiatives, including those related to federal laws governing social and employment relations
  • Liaising with industry trade unions in ensuring social security of employees and retirees
  • Advancement and support of education across our footprint
  • Support of vulnerable groups, environment‑related and awareness‑raising projects
  • Participation in conferences and industry‑specific events
  • Creation of specialised RZD classes for secondary schools
  • Support for industry‑specific universities as part of the Programme of Russian Railways’ Interaction with Railway Universities until 2025
  • Regular meetings with trade unions
  • Input to the work of educational institutions from Russian Railways’ employees
  • Joint academic, educational, and sporting events
  • Support for non‑profit organisations

Local communities

What they expect Areas of engagement How we engage
  • Local jobs
  • Minimising environmental impact
  • Support in addressing social, environmental, and economic issues
  • Providing accessible and comfortable transport services
  • Local employment
  • Infrastructure development across our regions of operation
  • Support for vulnerable people, emergency assistance
  • Volunteering and charity projects, philanthropy
  • Volunteering and charity projects
  • Educational initiatives
  • Promotion of sports and healthy lifestyle
Stakeholder engagement