Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has announced plans for a vast high-speed rail (HSR) network that will become the largest in Europe, spanning more than 4,500km (2,800 miles). The system will use domestically built trains capable of reaching 400kph (250mph).
At a government meeting on Tuesday, Mishustin said the new line would cut travel time between Moscow and St. Petersburg from four hours to just over two. The network will also link Moscow with Minsk, Adler on the Black Sea, Ekaterinburg in the Urals, Ryazan and several other cities.
“Travel between cities should be not only safe and comfortable but also not too time consuming,” Mishustin said. “In the modern world, time is becoming increasingly valuable. Because of that, we are mastering technologies for faster travel and [are working] on a development scheme for high-speed rail infrastructure.”
He confirmed that the project has been approved by President Vladimir Putin and will be finalised within the next six months.
Construction of the first HSR line, between Moscow and St. Petersburg, is already underway. The 679km route will be the first to feature the new generation of high-speed trains.
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Mishustin did not disclose details of the train’s specifications, but media reports suggested the name could be chosen through a public vote, with proposals including “Luch,” the Russian word for “ray of light.”
The current line between Moscow and St. Petersburg is served by Siemens Velaro Sapsan trains, which have a top speed of 250kph.
Once complete, Russia’s HSR system will surpass Spain’s 3,970km network, currently the largest in Europe and second only to China worldwide.
The new Russian trains will also outpace Europe’s fastest, the French TGV, which reaches speeds of up to 320kph, connecting London and Paris in three hours.
China remains the global leader in high-speed rail, with more than 64,000km of lines in operation. It also runs the world’s fastest trains, including the Shanghai Maglev, which can reach 460kph, and the CR400 Fuxing Hao, operating at 350kph.
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