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Together with Siemens Transportation Systems (TS), Russian Railways (RZD) is now entering the era of high-speed rail travel. During his visit to the Siemens plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen on July 20, RZD President Vladimir Yakunin gave the formal go-ahead for bodyshell production of the first Russian high speed train, Velaro RUS. Starting at the end of 2009, these trains should be running at speeds of up to 250 km/h on a line connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Yakunin called the start of Velaro production a "significant milestone in the development of the cooperation between RZD and Siemens". And he firmly stated that the Velaro RUS, "whose design and technology reflected the highest standard in modern railway engineering, will soon enable RZD to catch up with other railway companies in the high speed rail sector and allow Russia to join the world’s elite club of high speed nations."

During the visit by the Russian delegation, Hans M. Schabert, President of Siemens Transportation Systems, emphasized the good cooperation with the RZD on the Velaro project, calling it an "outstanding basis for a long-term partnership between Siemens and the RZD in all areas of railway technology." He affirmed his belief that modern high speed trains were the ideal means of satisfying Russia’s growing need for mobility.

The Minister of Transport of the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, Oliver Wittke, congratulated Yakunin on making this decision, stressing that "the Velaro contract from

Russia demonstrates impressively how well the railway industry is able to tap its innovative strength and utilize its international contacts in Germany's most densely populated state."

Back in May 2006, Siemens Transportation Systems had already received the contract to build a total of eight high speed trains, all of which to be manufactured in its Krefeld-Uerdingen plant and delivered by 2010. In addition, Siemens will be responsible for service and maintenance of these trains for 30 years. In all, that contract is worth about 600 million euros. Yakunin and Schabert officially approved the start of production of the bodyshells when they placed their signatures on a document certifying that the first step in the milestone agreement had been achieved.

In Schabert’s words, the Velaro RUS will give Russian Railways the "world’s most modern high speed trainset." It is similar to the ICE 3 used by German Rail and the Velaro E used by Spanish National Railways (Renfe). The ten cars of the multiple-unit formation offer enough space for over 600 passengers and are specially modified to meet both the particular technical and climatic conditions encountered in Russia. The trains are designed for the Russian broad-gauge tracks and are around 33 cm wider than the ICE 3. When the Russian Velaro RUS, the Chinese Velaro CN, the Spanish Velaro E and the German ICE 3 are considered all together, more than 160 EMU high speed trains have meanwhile been ordered from Siemens worldwide.

With its billions in investments each year, Russia is considered to be one of the largest market for trains in the coming decades. In addition to the high speed line between Moscow and St. Petersburg, other rail connections are being planned, such as one between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In Russia, a modern railway infrastructure featuring high speed rail travel is also considered to be a good response to the challenges of global warming. For instance, the amount of carbon dioxide, a contributor to global warming, emitted per passenger on high speed trains is about one-third the amount caused by airliners.

Railwaymodeler wrote:And just where is this broken old Commie place getting the money for this?

Must be good money in spam accounts and viruses that come from there.

Railwaymodeler wrote:And just where is this broken old Commie place getting the money for this?

Must be good money in spam accounts and viruses that come from there.

Benjamin wrote:Not that rich yet? I thought the Russians were making quite a tidy profit with them building the nuclear power plant for the Iranians.

alistairgrew wrote:

Benjamin wrote:Not that rich yet? I thought the Russians were making quite a tidy profit with them building the nuclear power plant for the Iranians.

I doubt it, I imagine most russian money is being pumped into the army.

Raichase wrote:

alistairgrew wrote:

Benjamin wrote:Not that rich yet? I thought the Russians were making quite a tidy profit with them building the nuclear power plant for the Iranians.

I doubt it, I imagine most russian money is being pumped into the army.

Totally. I'm sure the Berlin Wall is still up too.

Dave Worley wrote:I'm glad Raichase had the sense to come in and break it up with a sarcastic comment.

Dave Worley wrote:I'm glad Raichase had the sense to come in and break it up with a sarcastic comment.