On March 15, according to local media reports, construction has officially begun on the high-speed railway connecting Russia's capital Moscow with the northern city of Saint Petersburg.
This marks the start of Russia's first high-speed railway project designed to exceed speeds of 250 km/h, passing through six federal subjects and serving an area with a population of about 30 million people.
Once completed, the travel time between Moscow and Saint Petersburg will be reduced from 4 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes, with corresponding reductions in travel time between other cities along the route.
The project is scheduled to open in 2028 and is expected to include 14 stations aside from Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
The high-speed rail project is divided into two construction phases and includes the procurement of high-speed trains:
The first phase stretches from Saint Petersburg to Zelenograd in the Moscow region, with an estimated cost of 1.755 trillion rubles (approximately 137.7 billion CNY);
The second phase covers the Moscow city exit section, with an estimated cost of 221.5 billion rubles (approximately 17.3 billion CNY);
The procurement of high-speed trains is expected to require an investment of 148 billion rubles (approximately 11.6 billion CNY).
