The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, Siemens Mobility, a division of the German company Siemens AG which produces railway equipment and trains, representing the German Initiative for High Speed Transportation in Russia, together with the Economic Partnership Ural High-Speed Rail have agreed on a joint project to construct the Ural High-Speed Rail. The agreement was signed on February, 15, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, official web page reported.
The total investment in the project will exceed RUR 300 bln. The funds will be used to construct a new double-track high-speed railway between the cities of Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg. The 220km long rail link would allow trains to travel at speeds of 300 km/h.
The project will be implemented within the framework of a concession agreement and will also include the construction of related infrastructure. This will include four railway stations (Balandino and Koltsovo airports, Snezhinsk and Sysert), 10 intermediate stations and station complexes, four traction substations, a depot for high-speed rolling stock and a control building for the rail link.
Construction of the railway line will begin in 2021 with commissioning scheduled for 2025.