“Russian Railways” have recorded a decline in freight transportation for the fourth consecutive year due to intensified sanctions that hit exports and a slowdown in the economy, whose growth practically stalled last year.
By the end of 2025, loading on the Russian Railways network – the third longest in the world – decreased by another 5.6%, to 1.1116 billion tons – the lowest level since 2009. Out of the 15 categories of goods included in the transport monopoly’s statistics, 13 were in the red. Coal shipments – the main cargo of Russian Railways – fell by 2.1%, timber by 5.9%, construction materials by 10.5%, and grain by 12.2%.
Sanctions and blows to oil refineries reduced oil and oil products transportation by 5%. Industrial raw material loading volumes plummeted by 16% year-on-year, ferrous metals by 17.7%, and other goods, including containers, by 7.3%.
The decline in Russian Railways’ loading reflects a further slowdown in the Russian economy, notes an analyst at Freedom Finance Global: “Railway transportation traditionally precedes output statistics by several months, so such a movement can be seen as an indicator of a cooling in production and the investment cycle.”
In addition, Russian Railways was hit by attacks from Ukrainian drones, a source close to the company told the specialized publication “Gudok”: “Drone attacks directly affect the operation of railway transport. Russian Railways doesn’t talk about it, but it’s a clear restriction of the transportation process. When an attack is going on, the railway is stopped” (The Moscow Times).
