The loading level of "Russian Railways" (RZD) has been falling for 20 consecutive months. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy. This is reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU), UNN reports.
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In 2024, the decline reached 4%, and in the first five months of 2025 – already more than 7%. 300,000 empty wagons are idle on the tracks – almost 20% of the entire fleet.
The company is facing a chronic shortage of personnel: due to mobilization, emigration and the lack of labor migrants, thousands of locomotive crews are understaffed. There is a shortage of 2.5 thousand drivers and about 3 thousand other employees
It is noted that the crisis is exacerbated by the wear and tear of rolling stock: half of the 20,000 locomotives need to be replaced. To update the fleet by 2035, the company will have to spend $3–3.5 billion annually – there are no funds for this.
"Against the background of problems, RZD is cutting infrastructure projects. Funding for the expansion of the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway has been cut by two-thirds, and the development of routes to European ports has been frozen," the statement said.