Sergei Sobyanin: agreement to construct Moscow–St. Petersburg HSR signed

A concession agreement has been signed to implement the project for the construction of a high-speed railway (HSR) between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The new railway route project was initiated by the Russian President, Sergei Sobyanin announced on his Telegram channel.

“The 40-year agreement implies the construction of high-speed rail transport infrastructure between the country’s two largest cities and the development of high-speed trains,” wrote the Moscow Mayor.

Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

The new railway between the two megalopolises will cross several regions and they will take part in the construction. The project seeks to improve the quality of life in the country as a whole and boost business and tourism.

It will take two hours and 15 minutes to travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg — twice as fast as by the Sapsan train. Passengers will be able to get from Zelenograd to Moscow’s center in just 14 minutes and in 39 minutes from Tver.

The launch of the high-speed railway will increase passenger traffic between the two capital cities by 3.2 times, and it will reach 32 million people per year by 2030.

Russian technology and equipment will be used to construct the HSR.

The railway will connect the Russian largest economic centers with a population of 40.2 million people. It will speed up both passenger traffic and freight transport from 18 Russian regions. New Russian-made rolling stock will be used to operate the HSR. Moscow-based companies are actively engaged in its development.

679 km long, the route will comprise 16 stops including Vysokovo, Novaya Tver, Logovezh, Sadva, Vypolzovo, Valday, Gorki, Veliky Novgorod, Tigoda, Zharovskaya, Obukhovo-2 and St. Petersburg-Main (Moskovskiy Station) and four stations in Moscow Region.

The Moscow Central Diameters, a commuter rail system, have laid the foundation for the construction of the capital’s new railway.