OREANDA-NEWS. June 16, 2014. World Environment Day is held at all railway lines. This event was announced by the UN in 1972.

All 16 railway lines operate Environmental Centres, including environmental laboratories. Their main task is to implement the Company's unified environmental policy and monitor compliance with environmental standards and regulations at the line branches of Russian Railways.

A special role is played by the environmental laboratories, whose competence allows the companies in the rail network to take proactive measures to improve the efficiency of environmental facilities, and also to take prompt action in dealing with the environmental consequences of accidents.

In 2013, Russian Railways invested 3.66 billion roubles in environmental measures at all investment projects. The Company's current expenditure on environmental protection activities amounts to 2.63 billion roubles.

Every year, activities such as the technical upgrading of the environmental component, the introduction of innovative products and technologies and the implementation of environmental investment projects enabled reductions in the following areas to be achieved between 2003 and 2013:
 
emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere from stationary sources by 2.2 times;
discharge of wastewater into surface water by 3 times;
use of water for technical needs by 1.8 times;
railway track on wooden sleepers by 2.2 times.
 
In 2013, the Company's environmental performance was praised by Russia's federal executive bodies and public organisations. Russian Railways was also awarded five prestigious national and international prizes and diplomas at competitions in the field of environmental protection.