Finland halts passenger and freight trains to Russia
Finnish operator VR Group has suspended all passenger and freight trains to Russia. On Sunday, the last Allegro train from St Petersburg to Helsinki left the station. Read more
The EU sanctions on Russia explained: What is still possible?
The EU has approved heavy sanctions against Russia in response to the military attack on Ukraine. How does this affect rail freight on the New Silk Road, which runs largely through Belarus and Russia? We...Read more
Russian Railways on EU and US sanction list
Both the EU and the US have included Russian Railways in its sanction list. It is not completely clear what this means for rail freight transactions between Europe and China, but it seems that doing...Read more
More trains cancelled in Ukraine, Slovakia suspends trains towards the border
More trains are cancelled in Ukraine on Friday as the invasion of Russian troops continues. The railways of neigbouring Slovakia (ZSSK) has halted train transport to Ukraine until further notice, they announced in a statement....Read more
Russia’s hydrogen plan: ‘it is all about the right infrastructure’
Russia is currently building a fleet of new hydrogen-based freight locomotives, completely in line with the recently approved state strategy towards hydrogen energy in the Russian Federation. But only by building new locomotives the shift...Read more
Siemens and Russian Railways to develop new high-speed train
Siemens Mobility signed an agreement with the Russian Rail Engineering Centre to develop a new high-speed electric train for operation on the broad gauge high-speed lines in the Russian Federation. The Centre is a joint...Read more
Russian Railways to test fully automatic train in 2023
Russia will start test runs with a fully automated passenger train in the middle of 2023. This Lastochka train is currently being built by train manufacturers Siemens and Ural Locomotives. The vehicle will be equipped...Read more
First Russian high speed line will integrate with city train services in 2027
The first Russian High Speed Railway (HSR) between Moscow and Saint Petersburg will be integrated with the the city train services of the Moscow Central Diameters (MCD). Four hubs for the high-speed train will be...Read more
New Russian high-speed train will be ready in 2028
A new high-speed train with a speed of up to 400 kilometres per hour, which is being developed by Russian Railways and Sinara, should be manufactured and certified by 2028. Read moreVirtual Coupling increases capacity with 20 trains per day in Russia
The introduction of a virtual coupling systems on the Bolshoy Lug – Slyudyanka section in Russia increased the capacity by 20 pairs of trains per day. That said Sergei Kobzev, Chief Engineer of Russian Railways...Read more
The military and convicts modernising a railway?
At least for the Russian Railways, deploying military and possibly convicts seems like a viable solution for the lack of foreign construction workers. The Covid-19 related restrictions led to a shortage of workforce, and consequently,...Read more
Russian Railways signs deal for hydrogen locomotives
Russian Railways (RZD), Rusnano and Sinara Group have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of mainline hydrogen locomotives. A power plant based on electrochemical hydrogen fuel cells together with lithium-ion batteries will be used...Read more
Russian Railways and SNCF cooperate on hydrogen trains
Russian Railways and the French SNCF have signed a roadmap for the use of trains running on hydrogen fuel cells. It also covers the introduction of other green technologies that will contribute to environmental transformation...Read more