Think Railways

Russian Railways (RZD) has signed a RUB 20 billion (EUR 350 million) contract with JSC Mosgiprotrans - led consortium, including Nizhegorodmetroproekt and CREEC (China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd.) for the engineering research, development, project planning, and land survey and design documentation for the construction of the Moscow-Kazan section of Moscow-Kazan-Yekaterinburg high-speed rail line. Project works will be conducted in 2015 – 2016.

According to RZD,  the Russian-Chinese consortium is "the most promising professional community, that integrates decades of good practice and successful experiences in the implementation of high-speed rail construction projects and other major Russian infrastructure projects".

The length of the Moscow-Kazan pilot line will be 770 km; it will pass through the territory of seven Russian regions with a total population exceeding 25 million people.The project includes 15 stops, including Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, and Kazan. Travel time from Moscow to Kazan on HSR will be 3.5 hours, while travelling from Nizhny Novgorod to Cheboksary will take one hour and travelling to Kazan will take 1.5 hours. The annual passenger traffic in the first years of operation of the line is estimated at 10.5 million people.