High-speed rail in Russia
Encyclopedia
High-speed rail
is emerging in Russia as an increasingly popular means of transport, although the development of such rails is moving at a slower pace than in Western Europe
.
. The RT-200 set made only experimental runs in 1975 and 1980 and was discontinued due to unavailability of the ChS-200 high-speed locomotive- they were only delivered later. The ER-200 EMU
was put into regular service in 1984. In 1992 a second ER-200 trainset was built in Riga. Both sets remain in service.
According to RZhD Director Vladimir Yakunin, Russia will have several high-speed railroads by 2012 - 2014. Apart from faster travel times, the new line would increase capacity, since the old line is congested and there only room for a limited number of high speed trains. It would also be a safety improvement, since some level crossings are passed by 250 km/h trains today.
s along the line have to be kept closed to road traffic for longer for the high-speed trains than for regular ones (the crossing is closed 15 min ahead of the fast train passing through); the resulting delays have been criticized by motorists and bus passengers, as well as by ambulance and fire services in towns along the railway. In some small towns dependent on commuter trains for connection with the outside world, and on level crossings for local travel, such as Chupriyanovka (Чуприяновка; population 2,500) near Tver
, local officials have expressed the sentiment that "our town is cut into two halves for over seven hours each day" and that "we have been cut off from the outside world".
Overall, the feeling is widespread that the new service benefits the country's moneyed elite, while severely inconveniencing the majority of the population in the regions through which the railway runs.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
is emerging in Russia as an increasingly popular means of transport, although the development of such rails is moving at a slower pace than in Western Europe
High-speed rail in Europe
High-speed rail is emerging in Europe as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transport. The first high-speed rail lines in Europe, built in the 1980s and 1990s, improved travel times on intra-national corridors. Since then, several countries have built extensive high-speed networks,...
.
Experimental trainsets built in 1974
Two experimental high-speed trainsets (designed for 200 km/h or 124 mph operation) were built in 1974: locomotive-hauled RT-200 ("Russkaya Troika") and ER-200 EMUElectric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
. The RT-200 set made only experimental runs in 1975 and 1980 and was discontinued due to unavailability of the ChS-200 high-speed locomotive- they were only delivered later. The ER-200 EMU
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
was put into regular service in 1984. In 1992 a second ER-200 trainset was built in Riga. Both sets remain in service.
Operational
- The Moscow-Saint Petersburg RailwayMoscow-Saint Petersburg RailwayThe Moscow to Saint Petersburg Railway is a railway running between the two largest Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and through four oblasts: Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad...
is Russia's highest speed railway with a top speed of 250 km/h (155.3 mph). The first upgraded 250 km/h service using Siemens Velaro RUSSiemens VelaroSiemens Velaro is a family of high-speed EMU trains used in Europe and China. The Velaro is based on Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3 high-speed trains, but is a full Siemens product unlike the ICE 3 which involved other manufacturers....
(SapsanSapsanSapsan is a gauge high speed train in Russia. The design is part of the Siemens Velaro family....
) trains went into service on December 26, 2009. - HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
- St. Petersburg: 200 km/h (124 mph) high-speed service using Karelian Trains Class Sm6 (Allegro) trains started on December 12, 2010, cutting down travel time from 5.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The trains go 200 km/h (124 mph) on most of the Russian part, and 220 km/h (137 mph) on a short stretch in Finland. - Moscow-Nizhny NovgorodNizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
route. The high-speed traffic in Nizhny Novgorod began in July 2010. Two SapsanSapsanSapsan is a gauge high speed train in Russia. The design is part of the Siemens Velaro family....
trains makes shuttle trips between Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow and one between Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg. The latter route takes 8 hours and 30 minutes, versus the previous 14 hours.
New lines in consideration
Russia has the following lines in consideration or under construction:- Moscow-Kaliningrad: high speed line plan existed previously.
- Moscow-SochiSochiSochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
route: Recently, serious talks with Sumitomo CorporationSumitomo CorporationSumitomo Corporation is one of the largest worldwide trading company , and is a diversified corporation. Sumitomo is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan...
of Japan for ShinkansenShinkansenThe , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
for the Moscow-SochiSochiSochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
route (for SochiSochiSochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
's successful bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics2014 Winter OlympicsThe 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
). - Transiberian Railway : Russia is in preliminary talks with Japan for long term plans to replace the trains on the Transiberian Railway with a Shinkansen derivate. This is seen as a way to greatly reduce transit time for goods between East Asia and Europe as compared with ships.
- New Moscow-St.Petersberg High-Speed Line: In February, 2010, RZD announced that it will unveil proposals in March, 2010, for a new "European standard" high-speed line between St.Petersberg and Moscow. The new line would be built to normal Russian gauge and would likely be built parallel to the existing line. At an event on April 1st, it was announced that the new Moscow-St.Petersberg high-speed line would allow trains to run at speeds up to 400 km/h (249 mph). The total journey time would be cut from 3h 45m to 2h 30m. The new line is expected to make extense use of bridges, tunnels and viaducts. Finance will be provided by a public-private finance vehicle. The line is expected to carry 14 million people in its first year. Representatives from many other high-speed lines will be consulted, in a effort to avoid construction delays and design flaws.
According to RZhD Director Vladimir Yakunin, Russia will have several high-speed railroads by 2012 - 2014. Apart from faster travel times, the new line would increase capacity, since the old line is congested and there only room for a limited number of high speed trains. It would also be a safety improvement, since some level crossings are passed by 250 km/h trains today.
Criticism
Since the Sapsan service between Moscow and Saint Petersburg shares tracks with regular passenger trains and freight train, it has been widely reported that its introduction resulted in the cancellation of a number of more affordable long-distance and commuter trains, and long delays for many other trains that continue running. Moreover, the numerous level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s along the line have to be kept closed to road traffic for longer for the high-speed trains than for regular ones (the crossing is closed 15 min ahead of the fast train passing through); the resulting delays have been criticized by motorists and bus passengers, as well as by ambulance and fire services in towns along the railway. In some small towns dependent on commuter trains for connection with the outside world, and on level crossings for local travel, such as Chupriyanovka (Чуприяновка; population 2,500) near Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, local officials have expressed the sentiment that "our town is cut into two halves for over seven hours each day" and that "we have been cut off from the outside world".
Overall, the feeling is widespread that the new service benefits the country's moneyed elite, while severely inconveniencing the majority of the population in the regions through which the railway runs.