By the end of February 2026, the number of faulty freight cars that had not undergone timely repairs at Russian Railways reached 158 thousand units - about 11% of the total fleet. For comparison: in mid-2025, this figure was 86 thousand cars. This data is contained in the materials of the Institute of Natural Monopolies. This was reported by the Vedomosti newspaper.
Currently, about 80% of all wagons that have been out of service for a long time belong to the non-working fleet. This means that a significant part of the rolling stock requires restoration before returning to operation.
Analysts attribute the current situation to a decrease in rolling stock rental rates in 2025 by approximately 70%. Operators, facing a decrease in income, adjusted their budgets for the maintenance and repair of wagons, which eventually affected their serviceability.
A shortage of serviceable freight cars for transportation at loading stations will occur as early as April–May of this year, experts predict. Initially, these will be local shortages in places of mass loading of gondola cars and oil and gasoline tanks.
To stabilize the situation, it is important for industry participants to synchronize plans for repairing and updating the fleet, as well as consider support measures to restore the operability of the rolling stock.
