The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, held a meeting on the progress of the Moscow – St Petersburg high-speed rail project during a visit to the Ural Locomotives. The event was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the Urals Federal District Vladimir Yakushev and Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin.
The officials were informed on the project by the President of the Sverdlovsk Region Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Dmitry Pumpyansky, President of the Sinara Group Mikhail Khodorovsky and Director General of the Sinara Group Viktor Lesh.
The line will cross the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, the Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver and Moscow regions which, combined, are home to approximately 30 million people, or 20 percent of Russia’s population.
At the plant, the rolling stock manufacturer unveiled a model of a future 8-carriage high-speed train as well as the main carriage elements of the new Russian high-seed trains and finished products, in particular, the head carriage of the all-Russian new generation Finist high-speed train, an analogue of Lastochka train.
The construction of Moscow – St. Petersburg HSR is paving the way to the creation of a high-speed rail network in Russia as plans were unveiled for railways connecting Ryazan, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Adler and the capital of Belarus, Minsk, for which the presidents of Russia and Belarus have already discussed.
The construction of the line is “a pilot project and will become, or rather must become the first stage in the development of high-speed rail transport Russia. It represents a fundamentally different level of technology and transport services, offering modern jobs, advanced competencies and new opportunities for our citizens and regions,” Vladimir Putin said.
The establishment of designated high-speed rail routes will significantly increase railway capacity and alleviate passenger congestion at airports, contributing to the growth of domestic tourism and businesses.
Russia is analysing various approaches for the construction of Moscow – St Petersburg high-speed rail line, as well as different options for funding sources and mechanisms, as well as proposals regarding the timeframe and stages of work, including conditions for attracting investors and our development institutions.
The country is relying on domestic infrastructure and rolling stock components and products, and Ural Locomotives “has the capacity to set up a serial production and manufacture high-speed trains,” Vladimir Putin said.
In addition, the long-term high-speed rail development plan will be implemented with collaboration with Russian research institutes, and contractors.
Share on:
