Russian Railways
Russian Railways (Russian: ОАО «Российские железные дороги», romanized: OAO «Rossijskije železnyje dorogi») or RZhD (ОАО «РЖД») is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both managing infrastructure and operating freight and passenger train services and has a near-monopoly on long-distance train travel in Russia. The company was established on 18 September 2003, when a decree was passed to separate the upkeep and operation of the railways from the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation, which in turn was the successor of the USSR Ministry of Railways.