A high-speed railway (HSR) is a specialized dedicated railway line that provides train traffic at speeds of over 250 km/h. As part of the implementation of the Program for the Organization of Express and High-Speed Rail Links in the Russian Federation until 2030, the implementation of 20 projects is envisaged, which will make it possible to organize more than 50 high-speed routes with a total length of more than 7 thousand km. The main promising high-speed lines projects in Russia are the Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg lines with the connection of Ufa and Chelyabinsk, Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Sochi.
The goal of the Program is to accelerate the rate of economic growth and improve the quality of life of the Russian population through the creation of a network of high-speed and high-speed railway communications, providing an optimal ratio of speed, comfort and fare for passengers. The Program focuses on projects for the creation of new dedicated high-speed lines, or the reconstruction of existing tracks, providing route speeds of more than 100 km/h. The high-speed railway is also called the regional metro because, thanks to its speed, high speed of movement and accessibility of terminals and stations, it connects regions and makes intercity travel accessible, including daily travel. The construction of high-speed railways stimulates economic development - every ruble invested in high-speed railways generates 1.43 rubles of investment in other industries.
Implementation stages
Russia has unique preconditions for the development of high-speed and high-speed railway communications. Since the launch of Sapsan trains in 2009, they have transported more than 16 million people between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Compared to the same period last year, 40% more passengers used the service, and the demand for high speed travel continues to remain unsatisfied.
When developing the Program, an approach was used that allows minimizing public investment in projects. The costs that are still required will be carried forward during the life of the project, when the budgetary effects exceed the budgetary costs. In total, the increase in revenues of the consolidated budget of the Russian Federation from the implementation of the program is estimated at 7.8 trillion. rubles in 2015 prices.
The program is divided into three stages. The first stage (2015-2020) involves the design and implementation of the first lines of high-speed highways, the most effective for the state and other project participants.
The key project of the first stage will be the construction of the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan high-speed railway, which is currently in the design stage. In parallel with this, it is planned to begin the implementation of other large-scale HSR development projects, in particular the construction of the first section of HSR 3 (Center - South) from Moscow to Tula. In addition to creating high-speed communications between Moscow and Tula, it will significantly speed up communications with Orel, Kursk and Belgorod.
It is planned to implement the Ekaterinburg-Chelyabinsk high-speed rail construction project on the territory of the Ural test site. The highway will connect the two largest and fairly close cities of the Urals with high-speed rail. Currently, they are connected by a railway with a complex profile and low speed. Also on the territory of the Ural test site, it is proposed to modernize the existing railway line Ekaterinburg - Nizhny Tagil. On the territory of the Siberian test site, it is planned to launch high-speed communication on the Novosibirsk-Barnaul section.
At the second stage, a significant expansion of the high-speed railway network and high-speed transport is proposed. In the period from 2020 to 2025, 9 projects are planned to be implemented:
- Extension of HSR-2 from Kazan to Elabuga station, in the zone of influence of which there are large cities - Naberezhnye Chelny and Nizhnekamsk.
- Extension of the High Speed Rail Center - South from Tula to Voronezh, as well as construction of a section from Rostov-on-Don to Adler.
- Organization of high-speed transport on the Moscow-Yaroslavl route on the territory of the Central training ground. This will require the construction of a new high-speed track on the section from Pushkino to Yaroslavl, and the launch of a high-speed line in the existing profile by modernizing the infrastructure on the Moscow-Krasnoe section. It is also proposed to build a high-speed double-track highway in a new profile from Vladimir to Ivanovo on the territory of the Central Test Site.
- To design and build the Ekaterinburg-Tyumen expressway on the territory of the Ural test site.
- Organize high-speed traffic on the territory of the Siberian test site on the sections Novosibirsk - Kemerovo, Yurga - Tomsk and Kemerovo - Novokuznetsk. This involves both the construction of tracks in a new profile and the modernization of existing infrastructure.
In the period until 2030, the formation of the network's supporting framework will be completed:
- The largest project at this stage will be the Moscow-Ekaterinburg HSR. HSR-2 will be extended from Yelabuga to Yekaterinburg.
- The construction of the Voronezh - Rostov-on-Don section will make it possible to connect the previously built sections of the HSR-3 Center - South into a single highway.
- A major project will be the construction of a high-speed line from HSR-2 Cheboksary - Samara, which will connect large cities such as Ulyanovsk, Samara and Togliatti with the HSR support frame.
- A separate project will connect Stavropol and the resorts of the Black Sea coast by high-speed rail.
Removing bottlenecks
The implementation of high-speed and high-speed traffic projects will make a significant contribution to eliminating bottlenecks in the Russian transport system by switching part of long-distance passenger traffic from existing lines to high-speed ones. This transfer will free up busy lines for cargo transportation. In addition, this will remove a number of restrictions on economic growth by increasing budget revenues and gross regional product, developing mechanical engineering, tourism and other sectors of the economy.
The implementation of high-speed rail projects will create the basis for dynamic economic growth. Such projects, along with their own efficiency, act as a catalyst for the development of industries, small and medium-sized businesses, and regional development.
FEDERAL AGENCY OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT
Federal state budgetary educational institution
higher professional education
St. Petersburg State Transport University
Emperor Alexander I" (FSBEI HPE PGUPS)
“TEMPUS Mie GVF”
"Fundamentals of High Speed Rail"
"Program for creating high-speed passenger transport in Russia"
Mastinnikov Nikita
Furmanova Ekaterina
Nikonenko Kirill
Saint Petersburg
“Program for creating high-speed rail in Russia”
In 2018, our country will host such a large-scale event as the FIFA World Cup. FIFA has named the Russian cities that will host the 2018 World Cup. The list included Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Samara and Sochi.
We have to cope with a huge influx of tourists from all over the world. The movement of those wishing to attend the World Cup poses serious challenges to the country’s transport system, which needs development. Therefore, it is considered necessary to organize high-speed and high-speed communications between the cities that will be involved in hosting the 2018 World Cup. This will help us cope with the transport problem, and will also give a powerful impetus in the development of our country as a whole. The creation of the HSR infrastructure for the World Cup will leave a huge legacy for the entire country.
1st line St. Petersburg - Moscow
2 Moscow-Nizhny-Kazan-Yekaterinburg, also from the lower one there is also a direction to Samara
3Moscow-Voronezh-Rostov-Sochi
The most important goals of the HSR system:
· qualitative development of the Russian transport infrastructure through the creation of a transport communication system - high-speed railway;
· stimulating the country's economy by creating effective transport corridors and linking cities into agglomerates;
· mobility of the population (especially important for such a huge state as Russia);
· development of regions (increasing living standards);
· reducing the unprofitability of passenger transportation (the experience of operating Sapsan trains proves this);
· reduction of accidents and mortality on roads (high-speed railways cause an outflow of passengers from classic modes of transport, reducing the load on the existing network of roads and railways and reducing the congestion of air corridors);
· strengthening international recognition of the level of technical and financial potential of the country, creating opportunities for growth in export volumes.
Justification of the need to create a network of high-tech railway services.
The growing congestion of the road infrastructure and the objective growth in the transport activity of the population requires the adoption of systemic and long-term solutions that will improve the efficiency of the railway system as a whole. One of the tools for increasing the efficiency of railway transport is the development of high-speed and high-speed interregional communications, which are designed to bring the constituent entities of the Russian Federation closer together.
· The development of high-speed traffic will serve as an impetus for the export of advanced foreign technologies and will cause the massive creation of new jobs.
· unification of agglomerations and regional centers into a single agglomerate;
· providing the population with a modern service – high-speed rail passenger transportation;
· development of regions, improvement of living standards; remote regions automatically become close suburbs of the largest agglomerations in Russia;
· increasing the socio-economic potential of the country, since developed transport is the basis for the prosperity of a number of other industries, as well as a fundamental condition for improving the investment climate in the country;
· improving the qualifications of Russian specialists, increasing the level of employment of the population;
· formation and development of a unified system of complexes “airports – high-speed railway – urban transport”;
· increasing the prestige of the country, since in the modern world in the coming years there will not be a single economically developed country without a high-speed rail system.
In the distance range of 600-700 km, high-speed trains (with speeds over 200 km/h), with better economic indicators, provide a higher level of comfort and safety and have less negative impact on the environment. In addition, high-speed railway (HSL) trains arrive at train stations, usually located in areas of urban centers.
The main criteria taken into account when creating a high-speed train:
· safety;
· no dependence on weather conditions;
· reducing the impact on the environment;
· price flexibility;
· services on the way;
· emotional and physiological comfort;
· logistics and reservations;
· total travel time.
Main technical parameters of high-speed highways.
In the Russian Federation, high-speed traffic is currently organized on existing lines, which have been upgraded to reach speeds of up to 250 km/h. With the advent of dedicated high-speed highways, it will be possible to reach speeds of over 400 km/h. The plans include the creation of a network of high-speed highways that will connect major cities and also go beyond the country’s borders, organizing international high-speed passenger transport corridors.
Subgrade, plan and longitudinal profile of the track.
The management of the track and structures pays a lot of attention to improving the roadbed, canceling warnings that reduce traffic speeds, and reducing the length of the track with deformations of the roadbed, which now account for up to 7% of the network. This is becoming increasingly important, since the requirements for the condition of the railway track and roadbed are significantly increasing due to the increase in loads and train speeds.
Maintaining the track will become extremely difficult if its structure is not strengthened. Another important factor is a significant increase in traffic speeds: for passengers at high speed traffic up to 200-250 km/h, at high speed - up to 350 km/h.
For high-speed rolling stock, curves with radii of 3-5 km are required, the evenness of the track after grinding is up to 0.2 mm/m, and the elastic settlement of the track should not be more than 2 mm. In this regard, it is necessary to prepare the path - strengthening the rigidity of the base of the upper structure, that is, the sub-ballast zone.
The network of high-speed highways is growing rapidly, covering Italy, Spain, England, Benelux, and Scandinavian countries. The expressway from Finland reached Vyborg station in Russia. It should be noted that the superstructure of the track on European high-speed lines is laid in two layers: sand-gravel and crushed stone. Each layer is leveled to the nearest centimeter. Then they are compacted with vibratory rollers to impart the necessary strength. After laying the rail and sleeper grid and adding crushed stone, a dynamic stabilizer is passed through. This technology ensures long-term stability of the ballast prism, helps reduce elastic deformations and achieve track evenness. If necessary, improve the properties and conditions of soils by treating them with cement, lime, and introducing protective layers of foam plastic, reinforced concrete slabs, and asphalt concrete into the structure. On Italian railways, technological processes include watering the main site with bitumen before laying new crushed stone material.
Topside reliability is ensured, first of all, by the stability of the sub-ballast zone. As tests at VNIIZhT have shown, the soil environment has a significant influence on the elastic settlement of the track. With an increase in the rigidity of the sub-ballast zone, vertical movements (elastic settlements) decrease significantly. An increase in rigidity is achieved primarily by using sandy soils for embankments or by the presence of protective layers of sand and sand-gravel mixtures in the upper part of the embankments. This method is effective for high-speed railway lines under construction. At the same time, in the excavations it is necessary to cut out clay soils in the sub-ballast zone and replace them with sandy, sand-gravel ones.
On lines operated and reconstructed under high speeds and loads, the use of protective layers, especially those of greater thickness (up to 1 m or more), is difficult, especially when performing work through a “window”. Therefore, methods of strengthening the main area of the sub-ballast zone with synthetic materials are becoming increasingly widespread. It is also possible to use mineral, organic or chemical reagents.
There was experience in using synthetic bitumen pavement and asphalt concrete pavement. Observations have shown that such strengthening of the sub-ballast zone, along with the function of the separating layer, provides reinforcement, waterproofing, eliminating excessive soil moisture while maintaining its high strength, and, accordingly, regulating the amount of elastic settlement of the track.
Longitudinal profile and plan of high-speed highways.
(Overall averages)
· Curve radii 4000-6000 m or more.
· The maximum slope of the longitudinal profile of the high-speed railway on different railways varies depending on the topographic conditions of the area and ranges from 12-15% to 21% *
· The radii of vertical curves at profile breaks are 25-40 km.
· The length of the transition curves reaches 300 m when the slope of the rectilinear outlet of the outer rail elevation is in the range of 0.0005-0.0006, the largest value of the outer rail elevation is 150-180 mm, the length of the straight inserts between the curves is 200-300 m.
*High-speed railway design standards set the maximum slope of the longitudinal track profile at 24%, and in particularly difficult conditions, with an appropriate feasibility study, it can be increased to 35% (such a slope may be required only when the route crosses significant high-altitude obstacles).
Artificial structures and superstructures of the track.
When designing a new high-speed railway line, one should proceed from the calculations approved by the scientific and technical council of JSC Russian Railways.
On the HSR from Moscow to Kazan, with a length of 770 km, 795 artificial structures will be built, including: three unique bridges across the Volga, Oka and Sura, 50 large bridges with a total length of 31 km; 78 medium bridges; 49 overpasses with a total length of 77 km; 33 railway overpasses and 128 road overpasses; 454 culverts.
Electrification.
It is necessary to modernize traction substations with replacement of equipment. To increase the voltage in the contact network, voltage boosters are installed, and rectifiers complete with traction transformers are replaced.
To ensure high output power the train must have a very powerful primary energy source. This explains that almost all high-speed trains (with only rare exceptions) are electric rolling stock (electric locomotives, electric trains).
The contact network is, in fact, the only element of the traction power supply system that does not have a reserve. That is why special attention is paid to catenary structures and assemblies to ensure reliable operation throughout the entire service life under various climatic conditions and operating conditions. For high-speed and high-speed transport, Siemens has developed three types of contact suspensions, which have already found their application and have proven themselves well at the European railway site. These are Sicat HA (Siemens catenary high speed AC - Siemens catenary system for high-speed communication on the alternating current power supply system) for travel speeds up to 400 km/h, Sicat SA (Siemens catenary standard AC - standard Siemens catenary network on the alternating current power supply system) and Sicat SX (Siemens catenary standard X - standard Siemens catenary system for AC power supply system with extended spans) for speeds up to 230 km/h.
Their convincing advantages are the highest degree of operational reliability, low operating costs and long service life.
With equal energy consumption and equal distance, the volume of passenger traffic on the high-speed railway is more than 10 times higher than the same figure for air and road transport.
SCB.
Almost all means of railway automation and telemechanics introduced before 1990, in terms of their quality level, do not meet modern requirements for complex automation of the transportation process, hinder the introduction of new information technologies, and are incompatible with top-level systems of automation and informatization of the transportation process.
One of the first steps towards interoperability of domestic automation systems is the introduction of microprocessor systems, which are easier to integrate or interface with others than relay ones. In addition, there are still reasons why it is necessary to introduce microprocessor centralization at Russian railway stations. The first reason is that a huge number of EC relay systems built in the last century have been operating for a very long time. And therefore it is necessary to ensure that the pace of implementation of new systems is faster than the rate of aging of equipment.
The economic integration of European countries promotes the development of international rail transport. However, for a train to seamlessly cross state borders, the locomotive must be equipped with several ALS systems in parallel. Due to the abundance of new train safety systems and the rapid development of electronics, the situation in railway transport is becoming more complex.
To reduce the costs of various locomotive signaling systems and increase the speed of trains in international traffic, a proposal was put forward to create a unified standard for the development of ALSN systems in Europe. The project to create a European Railway Transport Management System (ERTMS) was initiated in 1995 by the European Commission. The basis of the project is the train control and safety system ERTMS/ETCS (ERTMS - European Rail Traffic Management System; ETCS - European Train Control System).
The speed of trains, the capacity of road sections and other parameters that determine the efficiency of railway transport largely depend on the technical means of control and traffic safety used. The use of modern technical means in railway transport is especially important due to fierce competition with other modes of transport.
It is assumed that the ITARUS-ATC system, in terms of the functions it implements, will maximally correspond to the second level ERTMS system, but is technically designed differently. In the second level ERTMS system, the location of the train is determined by odometer readings and corrected by Eurobalise track transceivers. To ensure the required accuracy, it is necessary to install two or three transceivers per kilometer of haulage or station receiving and departure path, which leads to significant capital costs and operating costs.
When forming the ITARUS-ATC concept, Russian experts proposed to use GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation systems instead of the Eurobalise transceiver to determine the location of the train, which in KLUB-U equipment have been successfully used on Russian railways for 10 years.
ITARUS-ATC assumes the following classification:
· lines with low train intensity (in Russia, inactive sections have less than 8 pairs of trains per day), LTL;
· lines with medium traffic intensity (intensive traffic of more than 24 pairs of trains per day on single-track sections and more than 50 pairs of trains on double-track sections), MTL;
· lines with particularly heavy traffic (more than 48 pairs of trains on single-track sections and more than 100 on double-track sections), HTL;
· high-speed lines (speeds above 140 km/h), HSL.
The technical equipment of railway lines in accordance with the ITARUS-ATC concept must be clearly determined by their category. Similar to the second level ERTMS system, on railway sections equipped with ITARUS-ATC, the existing technical means of automation and remote control are retained. The RBC center, through appropriate devices, collects information from automation and telemechanics and, on its basis, builds a train model of the service area. Based on this model, messages about the indications of the traffic lights ahead, speed limit locations and other information necessary to control train movement and ensure safety are generated and transmitted to locomotives via the GSM-R channel. Locomotives are equipped with Russian locomotive safety devices, specially adapted for operation as part of ITARUS-ATC. To interact KLUB-U with the GSM-R radio modem, a special AIRBS unit is used. The GSM-R standard was developed specifically to solve train traffic control problems. It is entirely based on the GSM standard of public networks.
The model range of turnouts for speeds along the main route of 250 km/h includes turnouts and ramps with a continuous rolling surface for speeds of 250 km/h along the main route. The first of the developed structures are turnouts of grade 1/11 - project 2956 and a ramp based on it - project 2968. Working and control rods on the switch, as well as external contactors, are placed in special hollow metal bars. Anti-theft devices are placed on the pointer and crosspiece, ensuring coordinated operation of the elements and preventing their theft. The turnout version with four drives has much simpler mechanisms, which will greatly facilitate its maintenance.
Stations, junctions and intersections.
Since the main goal of a high-speed line is to ensure minimal travel time, they strive to lay the high-speed rail route in the shortest direction between the end points. Therefore, a new high-speed highway may not go even to fairly large intermediate settlements if this causes a noticeable lengthening of the route. Along with this, when designing a high-speed railway, as a rule, the task is to ensure the connection of the new highway with the existing railway network in order to be able to deliver passengers using the high-speed railway to the largest centers located between the end points of the highway. To do this, it is necessary to provide stations on the high-speed railway that can be connected to the corresponding stations of existing railways.
In addition, on the HSR route, it is necessary to locate stations every 50-80 km for the deployment of units for the repair and routine maintenance of the track and contact network. These stations must, through connecting branches, have access to existing lines through which repair equipment will be delivered to the high-speed line.
These requirements determined the principle of routing high-speed highways, in which, along with laying the route in the shortest direction, it is envisaged at certain distances for HSR intersections with existing railways or approaching them for the possible construction of connecting branches.
In the project of the high-speed line Center - South from Moscow in the direction of Crimea and the Caucasus, the high-speed line is laid in a straight direction to reduce the travel time for passengers from Moscow to their final destinations (Simferopol, Mineralnye Vody, Sochi). Therefore, unlike the existing railway running from Moscow to the south, there is no provision for the high-speed line to enter such large centers as Tula, Orel, Kursk, Belgorod. To connect these cities with the high-speed railway, stations are provided at its intersection with existing railways, from which high-speed trains can go along connecting branches to existing roads.
Related information.
Residents of the Moscow region village of Nosyrevo in the Pavlovo-Posad district of the Moscow region opposed the construction of a high-speed railway (HSR) Moscow-Kazan. They claim that trains will travel at a speed of 400 km/h 50 meters from their homes and are collecting signatures on a petition addressed to the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, demanding that the project of the future route be reconsidered.
Within a week after publication, 500 people signed the appeal of dissatisfied residents of Nosyrevo. In order for the petition to be sent to the head of the region, those dissatisfied with the construction of the highway need to collect another 500 signatures.
Initially, the route, the total length of which will be almost 800 km, was promised to be built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, the opening was later postponed to 2020. The HSR project is being implemented by a specially created subsidiary of Russian Railways, OJSC High-Speed Railways.
Currently, there are three projects for the construction of high-speed lines, the author of which is Mosgiprotrans OJSC. One of them, according to documents published on the Expressway website, is called “recommended.” This is precisely what is being discussed in the petition of the residents of Nosyrevo.
Illustration: JSC "High-Speed Railways"
“They are going to build the railway at a distance of 50 meters from residential buildings. We have been contacting various authorities, the design organization, for a very long time now, trying to explain to them that it is possible to move the road. It's real. But they are stubborn and say that if the route is moved, its radius will change, the speed of the trains will have to be reduced, and they will travel two minutes longer.
From Moscow to Noginsk the train will travel 200 km/h, and from Noginsk to Vladimir – 400 km/h. It is not clear why the Moscow region is divided into two zones, where 200 km/h is allowed, and all conditions for normal life will be met, and where 400 km/h. After Noginsk it doesn’t seem to matter anymore?” - Ekaterina, a resident of the village of Nosyrevo, told MOSLENTE.
According to her, residents demand that the future route be moved from their homes to a distance of 500 meters to a kilometer. As compensation for the construction of the high-speed railway, they promised to provide gas and water supply to the village, but residents doubt that this will be possible after the opening of the route.
“We still demand compensation as owners of residential premises. That is, we have people who live there permanently. We want to be compensated for the decrease in the market value of our plots and houses, because, obviously, then no one will be able to sell their property and so on. Representatives of the design organization do not want to consider any alternative route for the highway; they are not going to satisfy any of our demands,” added Ekaterina.
She noted that on February 22, 2016, hearings were to be held on reducing the impact of the future route on the environment and living conditions in adjacent villages. “They didn’t do anything, they postponed it indefinitely,” Ekaterina concluded. The press service of the “High-Speed Railways” told MOSLENTE that it is not yet possible to talk about exactly how the high-speed railway will go.
“This is due to the fact that the HSR is currently at the design stage. The final route will be known after the conclusion of the Glavgosexpertiza at the end of the year. There are now a large number of unreliable maps of the route on the Internet.
The infrastructure of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway along its entire length, regardless of the design of the railway track, must ensure: sanitary and epidemiological requirements for safe and favorable conditions for human life and requirements in the field of environmental protection,” the press service noted.
The “High-Speed Railways” promised that during the construction of the high-speed railway all sanitary rules will be taken into account, and the design of the future route will include solutions that will eliminate harmful effects or minimize them. The company did not specify which “solutions” they are talking about.
Terminal for purchasing tickets in the opened information center of the High-Speed Railway (HSM) Moscow - Kazan in the city of Kazan.
“In addition, a modern railway track includes various anti-noise and anti-vibration structures. If the reduction of harmful effects is insufficient, additional measures are taken to enhance the reducing effects.
For example, elastic fastenings, anti-vibration elastic mats, under-rail elastic pads, replacing the material of metal fastenings with composite ones, sleeper anti-noise mats, acoustic screens, forest belts, and so on,” added the “High-speed Highways”.
From Moscow to Noginsk, the company explained, trains will run twice as slow due to the high population density. “High-speed Highways” added that according to existing standards, an expressway can be built 50 meters from residential buildings.
“During the operation period, there are no emissions of pollutants from the movement of electric trains, therefore sanitary gaps are established based on noise calculations. Noise calculations showed that the width of the sanitary gap for high-speed rail will be within 50 meters in the area where residential buildings are located,” noted the High-Speed Highways.
Noise barrier along the high-speed railway line for residents of Kazan. They claim that they plan to run the highway directly through the city.
On May 27, 2013, President Vladimir Putin announced construction in 2014-2018. the first high-speed railway in Russia - between Moscow and Kazan. In the future, they plan to extend the route to Yekaterinburg and even to Beijing. The project received an unofficial name - “Silk Road”.
High-speed trains will run along the high-speed railway and will accelerate to 400 km/h, as well as accelerated regional trains - up to 200 km/h, accelerated night long-distance trains and freight and container trains - up to 160 km/h.
Kazan is one of the largest cities in Russia and the most significant industrial centers of the country. Therefore, the issue of modernizing transport links between this settlement and the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, is very relevant. This is due to the increased intensity of passenger and cargo transportation in this direction. The Moscow-Kazan railway, the construction of which is planned for the near future, is designed to significantly solve this problem.
Transport problems
Currently, the capitals of Russia and Tatarstan are connected by the M7 Volga Moscow - Kazan. By car, you can drive it from one end to the other, spending a good half of the day. The highway passes through the cities of Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod. This route is an integral part of the Moscow - Ufa highway. At the same time, it is part of the European road E22.
Over its entire distance, the Moscow-Kazan highway (820 km) has a fairly high-quality hard surface. At the same time, due to traffic congestion, it often has to be repaired.
In addition, the cities are connected by the Moscow-Kazan railway, which dates back to 1897. In 1960 it was electrified.
Currently, the existing transport arteries between Moscow and Kazan fulfill their assigned tasks only partially. Due to the high intensity of traffic on them, as well as due to their technical characteristics, they cannot provide high-speed communication between these two major cities.
Solutions
A real solution to the problem of overcoming the high time costs on the way between the two cities could only be the Moscow-Kazan expressway. There were two ways to implement this idea: building a highway or a modern railway. The latter option was preferable, as it would allow us to get from the starting point to the final point in a shorter period of time.
This is how society gradually approached the idea of creating a Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway.
Project idea
Until now, there is not a single high-speed railway route in the Russian Federation. For the first time, Alexander Sergeevich Misharin spoke about the creation of such a project. In 2009, he proposed to build a similar railway route between Moscow and Yekaterinburg. This was not new to him, since he had previously served as Deputy Minister of Railways.
In 2010, Alexander Sergeevich formalized his proposal into a specific project. Misharin's idea was supported by the government of Tatarstan. But at this stage, the dialogue took place only at the regional level, since the federal authorities at that time had nothing to do with it.
Development of the idea at the federal level
At the federal level, the idea of building Russia's first high-speed railway was expressed in 2013 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He announced this in Sochi. It was announced that the immediate plans include the construction of such a grandiose project as the Moscow-Kazan high-speed highway. At the same time, Vladimir Vladimirovich said that in the future it is possible to consider the option of extending the road to Ulyanovsk and Yekaterinburg.
The direct implementation of the project was entrusted to the shoulders of the previously mentioned Alexander Misharin, who by that time had become the first vice president of Russian Railways OJSC. At the end of 2013, he was appointed general director of the Russian Railways subsidiary OJSC High-Speed Railways, created specifically for the construction of the road.
The construction period for the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway was scheduled for 2014-2018. That is, the work had to be completely completed by the upcoming world football championship in Russia.
Planned route route
The Moscow-Kazan high-speed route will pass through the largest cities of the upper Volga region. At the same time, it is still planned to be laid away from significant concentrations of populated areas so that this factor does not reduce the speed characteristics of the highway. For the same purposes, the Moscow-Kazan railway will run along the most direct route.
The highway will begin in Moscow, then descend 180 km to Vladimir, after 247 km it will enter Nizhny Novgorod, from which it will run 240 km to Cheboksary. The road will complete its journey in Kazan, to which it will stretch another 136 km.
Thus, the Moscow-Kazan high-speed highway will appear before us with a total length of 803 kilometers.
Comparison of the new route with the existing railway
Now let's find out how long it is from Moscow to Kazan to travel along the currently existing railway. Its length is 1170 km. Thus, as a result of the project, the distance between cities will be reduced by as much as 367 kilometers.
The time gain will be significantly greater. If it took 14 hours and 7 minutes to travel along the old railway, then the new Moscow-Kazan high-speed route will allow you to do this in just three and a half hours. That is, the time savings will exceed 3.5 times.
Financial aspects
The initial cost of implementing the highway construction project to Yekaterinburg was estimated at 2.5 trillion rubles. Then, when it was decided at the first stage of construction to extend the road only to Kazan, the total construction costs were significantly reduced. At the moment, the preliminary cost of the project, announced at the beginning of 2014, is 949 billion rubles. However, the designers understand that this is a very conditional amount. Taking into account inflation, it can be significantly adjusted and by the time construction is completed it can significantly exceed one trillion rubles.
The main share of costs is borne by government agencies. In particular, the federal budget, national welfare. However, it is also planned to significantly attract money from private investors and commercial enterprises to implement the project. This form of cooperation is called public-private partnership. Loans from banks and other financial institutions will also be one of the sources of financing.
Initially, it was planned to attract foreign investors as well. However, European companies were forced to refuse cooperation due to EU sanctions against Russia. Negotiations are currently underway with China to participate in financing.
Project implementation
At the moment, the Moscow-Kazan expressway is only in the design stage. The actual construction work has not yet begun. But this is a prospect for the near future.
The design work is carried out directly by the technical bureau of High-Speed Railways OJSC, and approved by the scientific and technical council of Russian Railways.
Currently, the timing of the project has been significantly delayed. Thus, it was initially planned to begin construction in 2015, and in 2016 to launch the first Nizhny Novgorod - Cheboksary line, completing the road construction work in 2018. But at the moment, some members of the Russian government and people directly involved in the implementation of the project say that construction work will most likely begin only in 2017, and a fully high-speed Moscow-Kazan highway will be put into operation by 2020.
Criticism of the project
A number of economic experts, including members of the government of the Russian Federation, are very doubtful about the final outcome. They say that the costs are too high, and the total passenger flow will not even reach the value indicated in the plans. In particular, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated that the construction of the Moscow-Kazan highway was premature.
At the same time, many public figures do not deny the national significance of the project, which helps to increase the level of comfort of movement between the capitals of Russia and Tatarstan.
Doubts are also expressed that, in view of Western sanctions and the onset of crisis processes in the country’s economy, it will be possible to find all the required financial resources for construction. In this regard, the prospects for putting the Moscow-Kazan highway into operation even by 2020 look very problematic.
In addition, there are supporters of the construction of a new highway between these two cities. Their main argument is the high intensity of cargo transportation in the Moscow - Kazan direction. A car can transport not only people, but also cargo, and the planned railway line is largely designed specifically for passenger transportation.
Prospects
The main tasks that the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway is designed to solve are reducing the intensity of vehicle traffic along existing transport routes between these cities, increasing the level of travel comfort for passengers and reducing travel time.
It is planned that the carriages of trains moving in this direction will be divided into four classes: economy, first class, business class and premium. According to preliminary calculations, the price of an economy class ticket from Moscow to Kazan will be 2,300 rubles.
If the highway construction project is successful, it is planned to extend it to Ulyanovsk and Yekaterinburg. In addition, Chinese investors have expressed interest in building a route all the way to Beijing. The governments of Russia and the Celestial Empire have already signed a joint memorandum on plans for such a grandiose construction.
But these are already prospects for a much more distant future. At the moment, the successful implementation of the project for the construction of a high-speed railway between Moscow and Kazan is on the agenda.
High speed highway projects
Modern railway communication is unthinkable without high speeds as the basis for innovative development of railways and an effective tool for solving important socio-economic problems throughout the state.
The implementation of high-speed and high-speed traffic projects will make a significant contribution to eliminating bottlenecks in the Russian transport system and will remove a number of restrictions on economic growth by increasing budget revenues and gross regional product, developing domestic mechanical engineering, tourism and other related sectors of the economy.
By high-speed line we mean a new specialized railway line designed for trains with speeds from 200 to 400 km/h. Under high-speed traffic - the transportation of passengers at speeds from 140 to 200 km/h on modernized existing lines.
The construction of the high-speed railway network and high-speed lines is provided for by the updated Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2030 and is taken into account in the Forecast of the country's socio-economic development. All of the above documents imply strengthening the investment orientation of economic growth, based on the creation of modern transport infrastructure and high-tech production.
The issue of creating an integrated transport network using high-speed and high-speed railway communications has been conceptually worked out with government departments, regions and businesses.
The main effects resulting from the creation of a high-speed and high-speed traffic network are:
Increasing the connectivity of Russian territories and population mobility. Travel time between regional capitals will average 1 hour and will significantly increase economic activity and labor migration with an increase in wages in the regions adjacent to the HSR by 30-50%.
HSR is a fundamentally new level of technology, a catalyst for the development of design and construction technologies, materials production, electronics, transport engineering, and systems for training engineering and scientific personnel.
Reducing the cost of transportation and improving its quality by separating passenger and freight traffic lines. This will ensure an increase in the capacity of highly loaded destinations and a reduction in investment costs for expanding the existing infrastructure.
Transition to high-speed lines and high-speed lines for part of long-distance and interregional transportation with a guaranteed minimum travel time with high service and safety;
Organization of regular route transportation of container cargo on the HSR. Using the transit potential of the territory is the implementation of one of the strategic priorities in positioning Russia in the global transport market.
The first stage of organizing high-speed rail traffic in the Russian Federation will be the construction of the Moscow-Kazan section of the VSM-2 line, which will pass through the territory of 7 constituent entities of the Russian Federation: Moscow and the Moscow region, the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Chuvash Republic, the Mari El Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. Further development of the line involves its extension to Yekaterinburg.
Life cycle contract (LCC)
As a model for Project implementation, it is planned to use the Life Cycle Contract (LCC), also known by the abbreviation DBFM (Design Build Finance Maintain - design, construction, financing, operation).
The implementation scheme is a life cycle contract (LCC), under which the winner selected in a single competition, established in the form of a special project company (SPK), must provide design, construction, partial financing and maintenance of the highway throughout the entire life cycle, and the state partner undertakes partially finance the construction and ensure the return on the initial investment during the operation stage. The HSR-1 infrastructure facility being created is federal property.
HSR projects do not include projects for the formation of a rolling stock fleet, the provision of services for transporting passengers by high-speed trains, as well as the creation of station complexes. High-speed trains do not pay for themselves through ticket sales, but the total socio-economic effect is many times higher than the costs, having a positive impact on the economy of the regions where the route passes and the country as a whole.
The LCC involves the transfer of functions for design, partial financing, construction and maintenance of highways for 30 years from the date of commissioning under a single contract to a private partner.
At all stages of the life cycle, high-speed rail creates a significant number of new high-performance jobs. In particular, the Moscow - Kazan section creates:
There are 80 thousand places at the construction stage, incl. 45 thousand in related industries;
There are 30 thousand places at the operational stage, incl. 15 thousand in related industries.
It is essential that high-speed highway is a fundamentally new high-tech facility, the design, construction, equipment and operation of which requires highly qualified personnel and sophisticated equipment.
Main events dedicated to the implementation of high-speed rail projects in Russia
June 18, 2015 An agreement was signed for the design of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway. JSC "High-Speed Railways" - a subsidiary of JSC "Russian Railways" - and a consortium of design companies with the participation of JSC "Mosgiprotrans", JSC "Nizhegorodmetroproekt" and China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd signed an agreement to develop design documentation for the construction of the Moscow - Kazan section of the Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg high-speed railway. The signing took place in St. Petersburg as part of the 2nd meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Investment Cooperation, chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov and Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli.
The basis for signing the agreement is the decision of the competition commission of JSC Russian Railways (minutes of the competition commission dated April 29, 2015 No. 324); as well as the general agreement on the preparation and management of high-speed railway projects No. 1496463 dated May 28, 2015, concluded between JSC Russian Railways and JSC High-Speed Railways. The duration of the work under the contract is 2015-2016, the cost is 20 billion rubles.
June 04, 2015 JSC "High-Speed Railways" and a consortium of companies designing the high-speed railway (HSR) Moscow - Kazan with the participation of JSC "Mosgiprotrans", JSC "Nizhegorodmetroproekt" and China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd signed a declaration of compliance with the principles of partnership and integrity in the implementation of the project. The signing took place within the framework of the anniversary X International Railway Business Forum “Strategic Partnership 1520” in Sochi.
The declaration noted the need to create a high-speed railway network in Russia, as well as the strategic importance and need for the speedy construction of its first section Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Cheboksary - Kazan. The document enshrines the principles of partnership and good faith of the parties when concluding and executing an agreement for the development of design documentation for the construction of the Moscow-Kazan section of the Moscow-Kazan-Ekaterinburg high-speed railway.
May 08, 2015 a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, JSC Russian Railways, the State Committee of the People's Republic of China for Development and Reform and the Chinese Railways Corporation in the field of high-speed rail transport.
In the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, JSC Russian Railways, the State Committee of the People's Republic of China for Development and Reform and the Chinese Railways Corporation in the field of high-speed rail transport. The document was signed by the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Sokolov, the President of JSC Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, the General Director of the Chinese Railways Corporation Sheng Guangzu and the Chairman of the PRC Committee for Development and Reforms Xu Shaoshi.
The purpose of the signed document is to develop cooperation between Russian and Chinese enterprises in the construction of infrastructure for the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway, a priority project of the Eurasian high-speed transport corridor Moscow-Beijing.
The document states that the parties agree to develop comprehensive cooperation in the field of design and consulting, production and supply of equipment, construction work, investment and financing of high-speed rail projects in Russia, to use Chinese technologies and equipment in the field of high-speed rolling stock, as well as experience in construction and operation in the field of high-speed communication in China; carry out full cooperation in the development and production of high-speed rolling stock.
As part of the implementation of the memorandum, the parties plan to continue consultations on agreeing on the organizational, legal, investment and financial model for the implementation of the Moscow - Kazan high-speed rail project, issues of joint production of equipment and its localization, and the creation of a special design company to implement the project based on the principles of public-private partnership (concession) .
At JSC Russian Railways, chaired by First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Alexander Zhukov and First Vice-President of JSC Russian Railways Alexander Misharin, a meeting of the Public Council on high-speed and high-speed traffic in Russia was held.
During the meeting, issues related to the construction of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway, regional policy in the field of development of high-speed traffic in Russia were considered, and initiatives aimed at improving the legislative framework in the field of regulation of land and urban planning relations in the implementation of high-speed railway projects were discussed.
The meeting participants noted that a consortium of leading Russian institutes had calculated the macroeconomic effects from the commissioning of high-speed rail, which significantly exceeded the investments in the construction of the highway. The research results were confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. In the first 12 years of operation of the route, the total increase in GDP of the Russian Federation due to agglomeration effects caused by increased labor productivity and increased business activity in non-resource sectors of the economy will amount to 11.7 trillion rubles in forecast prices. The amount of additional tax revenues during this period will be 3.8 trillion rubles, which is a multiple of the cost of the project. In the proposed scheme, the project is fully profitable for both the state and private investors.
Following the meeting, the Public Council recommended that the draft budget of the Russian Federation provide for the allocation of funds in the amount of 6 billion rubles in 2015 for organizing engineering surveys and starting the design of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail line. At the same time, it was noted that the Russian federal budget already provides for a line of funding for the creation of the highway, which remains to be filled. If the Government of the Russian Federation makes a positive decision on financing the project, the council recommended that JSC Russian Railways begin surveys, develop documentation for territory planning and design documentation.
March 12, 2014 For the first time, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation held discussions on the pilot project of the Moscow-Kazan High Speed Rail.
General Director of OJSC "High-Speed Railways" Alexander Misharin told the hearing participants about the current status of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail project and its perception by the country's population. According to Misharin, it is the risk of public perception that is the main risk when implementing large infrastructure projects. “According to research conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, “80% of respondents across the country as a whole believe that high-speed highways need to be built in Russia. If we talk about the population of the territory where the HSR passes, this figure increases to 85%,” Misharin said.
Alexander Misharin paid special attention to the issue of the quality of services provided in high-speed rail transport. Thus, for each target audience on a high-speed train there is a separate class of service with a corresponding set of services. For example, for passengers on business trips, the train will have special business compartments for negotiations, and for families with children, there will be areas with play courts and facilities for changing and feeding infants. The General Director emphasized the importance of the HSR for people with disabilities, who will be able to use such special services as escort along the route and transfer from home to the station.
In his speech, Alexander Misharin also noted that the main goal of creating a high-speed railway is to increase the connectivity of territories and significantly reduce the distance between regions of the future route, because “the distance can be measured in kilometers, or in hours.”
State Duma deputy Valery Seleznev expressed support for the project, saying that in the context of the current change in the global political landscape, our responsibility is to develop the high-speed railway infrastructure for the future generation. He noted that the construction of the high-speed railway is, first of all, the preservation of the territorial integrity of Russia.
Director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ruslan Grinberg also emphasized the importance of implementing the “megaproject” of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway in the very near future.
According to Oleg Bely, director of the N. S. Solomenko Institute of Transport Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the transition to a post-industrial society in most developed countries occurred through the development of high-speed rail traffic.
Many experts who took part in the public hearings agreed that today the existing transport infrastructure is a limiting factor in the development of the Russian economy, and it is the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail project that will become the driver of its development.
In total, more than 100 people took part in the public hearings “Creation of an integrated network of high-speed and high-speed railway communications in the Russian Federation,” including representatives of government authorities, the scientific community, public organizations, etc.
September 12, 2013 As part of the IV International Railway Salon of Equipment and Technologies “EXPO 1520”, a panel discussion “Construction of high-speed railways in Russia as a factor of economic growth” was held, which became an effective platform for the exchange of experience in the implementation of high-speed railway projects. The panel discussion was divided into 3 thematic sessions. The first “Strategic Session,” moderated by Managing Partner of Bain&Co Russia and CIS Yuri Spektrov, was opened by Alexander Misharin, First Vice President and General Director of High-Speed Railways OJSC. He told the discussion participants about the ongoing work on the Moscow-Kazan High-Speed Rail pilot project, also stating that “the construction of the High-Speed Rail System is a challenge for industry and builders.”
The second session, moderated by the General Director of NPTV LLC, former General Director of the Kommersant holding Andrey Galiev, was devoted to the organizational, legal, financial and environmental aspects of the implementation of high-speed rail projects, and the third session was held in the format of a “game competition” to select a partner for the supply of mobile composition for high-speed rail. The winner of the “competition” was determined by the audience using SMS voting; it was Alstom.
July 31, 2013 a meeting was held on the development of high-speed railway communication under the leadership of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. The main topic of the meeting was a discussion of the parameters and further prospects for the development of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway project.
In his opening speech, Vladimir Putin stated that the key task today is to organize financing for the project and develop a clear organizational and legal scheme for its implementation. “It is also necessary now to very accurately predict the volume of passenger traffic on the Moscow-Kazan highway, assess its potential congestion and think through an effective, flexible tariff policy that would ensure a competitive ticket price that is affordable for citizens and passengers,” the President said. He also added that all these issues must be resolved as soon as possible in order to “have time to include the appropriate funds in the draft federal budget for the next year and the planning period.” As a priority V.V. Putin also raised the issue of quickly reserving the land through which the highway will pass. Currently, JSC "High-Speed Railways" is already working in this direction: a bill is being developed to regulate tax and land relations arising during the implementation of high-speed railway projects; At the level of special working groups created in the regions, the possibility of reserving land for a period of up to 5 years is being explored.
President of JSC Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin announced that the pilot project for the development of the high-speed transport system of Russia - the Moscow - Kazan high-speed railway was supported by all constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
July 22, 2013 A meeting of the scientific and technical council of JSC Russian Railways was held under the leadership of the President of JSC Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, dedicated to the coordination of the position of the HSR 2 "Moscow-Kazan-Ekaterinburg" and HSR 3 (Center-South) "Moscow-Rostov-on-Yekaterinburg" routes. Don-Adler", the main route options were approved.
“Now we are faced with the task of pre-design work. It has been determined that this will be a highway from Moscow through Kazan with an extension in the future to Yekaterinburg and Moscow - Rostov-on-Don - Adler. These are the directions chosen as priorities for the state. All the advantages and risks are in the implementation of the project is known,” said V.I. Yakunin.
General Director of High-Speed Railways OJSC Alexander Misharin reported that as part of the Justification of Investments in the Construction of High-Speed Railways, about 50 options for possible routes were considered, of which 2 main ones were selected.
In his report, General Director of Lengiprotrans OJSC Vladimir Chernakov announced the main results of the tracing. HSR 2, with a length of 1,532 km, will pass through the territory of ten constituent entities of the Russian Federation, through large cities - the federal centers of Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Kazan, Yekaterinburg. In addition, it is planned to organize stations in the cities of Noginsk, Orekhovo-Zuevo, Kovrov, Gorokhovets, Dzerzhinsk, Elabuga, Pervouralsk. The length of the Center-South high-speed rail route will be 1,540 km, and the travel time between Moscow and Adler will be 8 hours. Based on technical and economic indicators and maximum passenger traffic, the direction was chosen through Tula, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Tuapse (in total, the population in the area gravitating to the highway is 33 million 400 thousand people).
Acting Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Development of Road Transport Infrastructure of the City of Moscow Maxim Liksutov stated that “the deficit of existing infrastructure along the Kursk and Gorky directions is about 45%.” In his opinion, the creation of dedicated lines for high-speed traffic can help solve the congestion situation on these routes.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Russian Federation on Property Issues Valery Seleznev noted that in the near future the State Duma will hold hearings on the formation of the budget for 2014-2016. In this regard, he proposed to speed up the process of submitting budget requests for the HSR. Also, to promote legislative initiatives required for the implementation of high-speed rail projects, Valery Seleznev proposed creating a working inter-factional group in the State Duma.
The regions will contribute to the implementation of high-speed rail projects: Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chuvash Republic Mikhail Yankovsky announced the Republic’s readiness to ensure in the future the integration of the high-speed rail station with the existing transport system of Cheboksary, and the governor of the Sverdlovsk region Evgeny Kuyvashev said that the region will take on the decision of all issues related to land for the implementation of the HSR 2 project.
A.S. Misharin said that a bill regulating tax and land relations arising during the implementation of high-speed railway projects is currently being worked out. This bill may be submitted to the State Duma as early as the autumn session. In his speech, A.S. Misharin also thanked the regional leaders for the creation of special working groups that took an active part in developing decisions to determine options for the passage of high-speed rail routes. He emphasized that the possibility of reserving land for a period of up to 5 years is now being explored at the level of these working groups.
Based on the results of the Scientific and Technical Council, it was recommended to finalize route options taking into account bottlenecks (entrances to large cities, bridges and tunnels) and to accept finalized projects agreed with regional authorities for further development.
It was also decided to prepare an appeal for the inclusion of data on high-speed railway lines in the territorial planning scheme of the Russian Federation in the field of transport and to recommend that the administrations of the constituent entities of the Federation include information on high-speed railway lines in territorial planning schemes, as well as to introduce restrictions on transactions with land plots in the projected right of way of high-speed railway lines.
June 25, 2013 Parliamentary hearings were held in the State Duma on the topic: “Creating a network of high-speed and high-speed railway communications is a key element of the growth of the Russian economy.”
The priority project for the construction of high-speed rail in Russia will be the Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Cheboksary - Kazan highway with the prospect of extending it to Yekaterinburg and connecting Perm, Ufa and Chelyabinsk. The launch of high-speed trains between Moscow and Kazan will reduce travel time for passengers by more than 10 hours compared to today, while travel time between agglomerations will not exceed 1-1.5 hours. The length of the newly built dedicated line will be 803 km.
The hearing participants supported the need for the speedy implementation of a pilot project for high-speed passenger traffic in Russia on the Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Cheboksary - Kazan line.
The new high-speed railway line will connect the largest agglomerations of the Central, Volga and, in the future, Ural federal districts. In addition to daytime high-speed trains with speeds from 200 to 400 km/h and fares from 1 to 10 rubles per kilometer, high-speed night trains with speeds from 140 to 200 km/h will be implemented on the new highways. Also, a system of high-speed routes will be integrated into the high-speed communication system, which will connect the HSR line and nearby regional centers. The freed-up capacity of existing railway lines will be used to increase suburban traffic and cargo transportation volumes.
The hearing participants noted that Russian President V.V. Putin supported the idea of using funds from accumulated state reserves, in particular, funds from the National Welfare Fund, to implement large investment projects. The project to create high-speed rail traffic between Moscow and Kazan was named among them.
April 23 2013 A meeting of the Public Council on the development of high-speed and high-speed communications in the Russian Federation took place.
Representatives of federal and regional authorities, scientific and business communities, domestic and foreign railway, construction and engineering companies took part in its work.
The meeting discussed promising projects for the construction of high-speed railways in Russia, as well as opportunities for financing them.
JSC Russian Railways has already implemented a number of projects to develop traffic on the existing railway infrastructure: high-speed and high-speed (over 200 km/h) traffic of Sapsan electric trains is carried out in the direction Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod, high-speed traffic of Allegro electric trains "on the St. Petersburg - Buslovskaya section (and further to Helsinki), high-speed traffic of Lastochka trains on the St. Petersburg - Veliky Novgorod and St. Petersburg - Bologoe sections. In the near future, Lastochka trains will begin operating on the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod route, as well as intermodal city-airport transportation in Kazan and Sochi.
However, a further increase in speeds on existing lines is only possible at the expense of other types of railway transport (passenger and freight). The construction of dedicated high-speed lines will make it possible, along with a significant increase in train speed, to systematically solve a number of fundamental problems.
The meeting participants noted that investments in such projects are beneficial for the state. The creation of high-speed rail is a catalyst for the development of industrial and construction enterprises, and - taking into account the high technology of the project - engineering and scientific personnel.
Taking into account the research carried out, the participants of the Public Council recommended that a pilot section of the high-speed railway be identified already this year and begin its design. The Moscow-Kazan testing ground was proposed as such a site. Possible sources of financing, in addition to funds from the federal budget, JSC Russian Railways and business, included funds from pension funds, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the National Welfare Fund, the issue of infrastructure bonds, etc.
Following the meeting, the Public Council recommended that JSC Russian Railways continue to work with the government of the Russian Federation to provide state support for the implementation of high-speed railway projects and their subsequent operation, and also to prepare an appeal addressed to the President of the Russian Federation on the need to make a decision on the start of high-speed railway construction.
Subjects of the Russian Federation were recommended to provide support to JSC Russian Railways in preparing a feasibility study for investments in the construction of high-speed lines, as well as to organize in regions gravitating towards the passage of high-speed lines, public information centers from representatives of government authorities, commercial organizations, scientific and public associations .
April 18, 2013 The Day of Russian Railways was held in the State Duma, timed to coincide with the celebration of the 10th anniversary of JSC Russian Railways.
During the meeting, issues of state policy in the field of railway transport, ensuring its transport accessibility for the population of the country, as well as prospects for the development of modern high-speed and high-speed railway communications were discussed.
For the first time, the company’s exposition is presented within the walls of the Russian parliament, telling about the main projects and achievements of Russian Railways. The exhibition exposition of JSC Russian Railways was opened by Chairman of the State Duma S.E. Naryshkin. and President of JSC Russian Railways V.I. Yakunin
“This exhibition is only a small part of what we would like to tell. We are deeply convinced that modern Russia needs global development projects. No matter how much we try to simply save and save money, it is necessary to create sources of income, and such sources of income are investment projects which give rise to the development of the country’s economy,” noted V.I. Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, at the opening ceremony.
