Russian Railways is trying to convince the government in the need to build a passenger high-speed highway (SMM) Moscow-Petersburg. This is reported by Kommersant.
According to the publication, as an argument in favor of the construction of a megaproject, the company indicates that the country will lose their prospective freight traffic into the ports of the North-West region without a highway. And for the export of goods, the development of the railway infrastructure will still need, which will cost almost the same money as the SMM (1.6 trillion rubles against 1.7 trillion).
Another JSC argument found a decrease in the passenger traffic in the central transport hool to 15 million passengers a year, in St. Petersburg – up to 12 million passengers.
Kommersant says that the decision on the fate of the highway has not yet been accepted. However, according to the Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnullin, the authorities do not plan to refuse the project. He added that the project can be implemented in several stages. “Now we are concentrated on creating railway entrances and exits from cities, and in the future launch the main move,” said Husnullin.
Plans to build the BCHM between Moscow and St. Petersburg became known in August. In September, it was included in the preliminary draft federal budget for 2022-24. Completed construction was supposed to be completed by 2027, after which the highway would be integrated with the third Moscow central diameter (MCD).
In 2020, the deputy head of the Ministry of Transport Vladimir Tokarev told that the first train on the new road from Moscow to St. Petersburg will be held in December 2026. On the net profit of the track was planned to be withdrawn in 2031.