Regional Dynamics of Environmental Performance Indicators for Road and Rail Transport Over the Period 2000–2023

Aim . To analyse the dynamics of environmental indicators of road and rail transport in Russia. Methodology . The paper is based on the data of the federal agency for statistics, as well as data from the Ministry of Natural Resources. It should be noted that the calculated data (obtained by the federal agency for statistics) concerning the value of emissions into the atmosphere from non-stationary sources of pollution, obtained on the one hand before 2018 and on the other hand after 2019, are not comparable, since they were obtained using different methods. The authors used methods of comparative regional analysis, cartographic, mathematical statistical methods, and systematic approaches (studying regions as integral systems, considering their internal and external relationships), which helps solving the problems of the impact of road and rail transport on the environment with use of comprehensive approach. Results . The analysis of automobile and railway transport operation showed that their role and importance as atmospheric pollutants are decreasing both in Russia as a whole and at the level of most regions. Only within the North Caucasian Federal District transportation is still the main pollutant of atmospheric air. The dynamics of emissions from the considered types of transport for the period from 2000 to 2023 in Russia, as it seems to us, is closely connected with the dynamics of motorization growth as a whole, with a relatively small share of NGVs and electric vehicles remaining, as well as with a very slow growth of the length of electrified public railroads. Regional factors determining the level of motorization of the population (and the economy as a whole), as well as in the size and directions of traffic flows have significantly affected regional proportions of air pollutant emissions from road transport. Reduction (including suppression) of motorization growth in urban agglomerations (especially in Moscow) is a significant factor in the reduction of motor transport as a source of atmospheric pollution in recent years. The role and importance of “environmentally friendly” motor vehicles in Russia has been declining in recent years, while their growth in absolute terms has been maintained. Low rates of railroad electrification and orientation of private companies – builders and operators of railway lines to the use of diesel locomotive traction, which is cheaper for non-mass transportation, contributes to the preservation of railway transport as a significant source of atmospheric pollution. Research implication . The research has practical significance, as the material obtained by analysis of the dynamics of air pollutant emissions from road and railroad transport can be used for further work in the sphere of territorial planning and urban development. The information obtained by the authors will help to better understand the issue of transportation pollution of atmospheric air in Russia. The data presented in this paper will be used in the future in the development of conceptual and strategic documents, as well as for the creation of territorial planning documents.