OJSC Russian Railways has announced an open tender for the right to sign an agreement to carry out engineering surveys, project development, route demarcation planning and project documentation for the construction of the Moscow - Kazan section of the Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg High-Speed Railway. The maximum contract price for the execution of the work is 20.79 billion roubles (£220m).
"The development of high-speed rail is a fundamentally new step in the modernisation of the Russian transport system, one which countries such as Japan, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, China and many others have already taken,” said Vladimir Yakunin, the president of Russian Railways. “International experience confirms that infrastructure development projects greatly stimulate the real economy and the development of small and medium-sized businesses. In announcing this tender, we are confident that both Russian and foreign companies with experience in designing and constructing high-speed railway lines will take part. I am convinced that localising in Russia advanced technologies in the field of railway transport will have a positive impact on the development of the entire economy of the Russian Federation,"
The length of the pilot Moscow - Kazan high-speed line will be 770km. The project includes 15 stops, including Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary and Kazan. Annual passenger numbers in the first years of the line's operation are estimated at 10.5 million.
The line will be the largest infrastructure project in Russia today, and its implementation will require a public-private partnership.
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