Monthly News Bulletins

Monthly Newsletters. November 2009.

The tragedy involving Nevsky Express train No. 166 on the Moscow – St. Petersburg route

On 27 November at 21:34, a terrorist attack caused the derailment of four carriages of passenger train No. 166 travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg. 

RZD specialists complete track reconstruction in Mongolia

In November, Russian Railways (RZD) specialists completed a programme to repair the track infrastructure of the Ulan Bator Railway. 

RZD President Vladimir Yakunin and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discuss high-speed rail development in Russia and the US

The US transportation secretary noted that the railway systems of Russia and the United States have much in common, and that the Russian programme to develop high-speed rail transport is of great interest to Washington in the light of the new US administration’s plans to create a high-speed national rail network.

Climate Express: from Kyoto to Copenhagen via Russia’s railway

The campaign, organized with the aim of marking a transition to a new generation of agreements on future global climate cooperation, began on 5 November in Kyoto (Japan) with an International Union of Railways (UIC) seminar on the role of rail transport in protecting the planet’s climate system. 

RZD launches ticket sales for high-speed Sapsan train on the Moscow – St Petersburg route

The first journeys will start on 18 December at 06:45 in the morning, when two trains will depart simultaneously from Moscow and St Petersburg. The journey time will be 3 hours 45 minutes. 

The tragedy involving Nevsky Express train No. 166 on the Moscow – St. Petersburg route

On 27 November at 21:34, a terrorist attack caused the derailment of four carriages of passenger train No. 166 travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg. This tragedy claimed the lives of 26 people. Due to this incident, the more than 60 trains carrying a total of 27,000 passengers were diverted. On 29 December, RZD completed repair work at the site of the catastrophe. The train personnel on the Nevsky Express, which was hit by a bomb attack on the border between the Novgorod and Tver regions, showed their high level of professionalism and dedication in aiding the injured passengers.

Before medics and rescuers had arrived, train staff worked despite their injuries to help passengers. The staff carried the injured out of the train and bandaged their wounds. RZD has begun paying compensation to those injured and the families of those who died in the disaster involving Nevsky Express train No. 166. RZD President Vladimir Yakunin has announced that the company is paying compensation of 200,000 rubles to each person injured in the incident, and 500,000 rubles the families of each person killed.

Climate Express: from Kyoto to Copenhagen via Russia’s railway

For 11 days, a group of environmental protection experts took part in a unique project: under the Train to Copenhagen project, they crossed Russia’s entire territory, to deliver a "climate" message drawn up in Japan to the UN conference in the Danish capital, and to explain the global problems resulting from climate change. The campaign, organized with the aim of marking a transition to a new generation of agreements on future global climate cooperation, began on 5 November in Kyoto (Japan) with an International Union of Railways (UIC) seminar on the role of rail transport in protecting the planet’s climate system.

International Union of Railways representative Margrethe Sagevik, speaking on behalf of participants in the environmental expedition, thanked Russian Railways for organizing the journey, and noted the high level of qualifications among company specialists involved in tackling environmental monitoring issues and implementing natural protection measures. From Moscow, the environmental team departed for Brussels, to join the Climate Express train, which will deliver more than 400 delegates and journalists to the UN conference in Copenhagen. The Kyoto protocol expires at the end of 2012.

In Copenhagen, the signing of a political agreement is expected on stepping up international dialogue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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The international environmentalists’ journey across Russia’s railway took place as part of the global Train from Kyoto to Copenhagen project, organized by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and Russian Railways (RZD), with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

RZD specialists complete track reconstruction in Mongolia

During the summer renovation period, Russian specialists laid 54.43 km of track, and the Mongolian track repair centre put down 54.72 km of track. Continuous welded rail (ribbon rail) technology was introduced to Mongolia’s network. Following the reconstruction of the Mandal-Davaany line of the Ulan Bator Railway, maximum train speeds on the route were increased from 80 km/h to 120 km/h. 

The management Ulan Bator Railway sent a letter of thanks to Russian Railways, saying the volume of work stipulated in the contract has been exceeded. Deliveries of materials were made on time and in the agreed volumes, and thanks to the technical and professional assistance of Russian specialists, the Mongolian track repair centre was able to conduct its work at record speed. 

The Management of Ulan Bator Railway expresses its gratitude to all those involved in carrying out the programme, and in view of the experience gained from this successful joint work, hopes for a continuation of partner relations and further mutually beneficial cooperation in 2010", the company’s message said.

RZD President Vladimir Yakunin and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discuss high-speed rail development in Russia and the US 

During the meeting, the RZD president showed his American colleagues Russia’s first project to build a high-speed train, the Sapsan, which will be launched on the Moscow – St Petersburg line on 18 December. The US transportation secretary noted that the railway systems of Russia and the United States have much in common, and that the Russian programme to develop high-speed rail transport is of great interest to Washington in the light of the new US administration’s plans to create a high-speed national rail network.

RZD launches ticket sales for high-speed Sapsan train on the Moscow – St Petersburg route

Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week and the departure time. For the first week of the service, from 18 to 25 December 2009, tickets will be sold at a discount. Return tickets will be sold at a discount of 10%. For first class passengers, hot food will be available (to be chosen from the menu), as well as the latest newspapers and internet access.

For travelling comfort, passengers will be offered special travel packs (containing ear plugs, eye masks, and slippers) and also children’s packs. Passengers in second class carriages can order hot food from the bistro carriage for additional payment, use the internet, access video and audio programmes, and even order taxis. Tickets for the Sapsan can be bought at ticket desks, self-service terminals, payment terminals, and online. The Sapsan trains will have electronic registration.

When boarding, passengers who bought their tickets on the RZD website will be required to show the document that they indicated when ordering the ticket. The trains will depart from Moscow stations three times daily: - at 06:45 (arriving at St Petersburg at 10:30, with no stops – a journey time of 3 hours 45 minutes) - at 13:00 (arriving at St Petersburg at 17:15, with no stops – a journey time of 4hours 15 minutes) - at 19:00 (arriving at St Petersburg at 22:45, with no stops – a journey time of 3 hours 45 minutes) Trains from St Petersburg to Moscow will follow an equivalent timetable (with departures from St Petersburg at 06:45, 13:00, and 19:00).

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The Sapsan is a high-speed electric train of the Velaro RUS series produced by the Siemens Transportation Systems company, and capable of a maximum speed of 250 km/h. With the launch of the Sapsan train, the journey time between Moscow and St Petersburg will be 3 hours 45 minutes. Currently, the travel time is between 4 hours 30 minutes and 8 hours. The average time for a journey from Moscow to St Petersburg by plane (taking into account trips to and from the airport, flight registration, and flying time) is not less than 5 hours. RZD plans to launch Sapsan trains on the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod line in 2010. 

In November, Russian Railways (RZD) specialists completed a programme to repair the track infrastructure of the Ulan Bator Railway. In line with an agreement between Ulan Bator Railway and RZD, more than 100 km of track was reconstructed. Wooden sleepers were replaced with reinforced concrete sleepers, and accompanying infrastructure was reconstructed. On 19 November in Moscow, Russian Railways (RZD) President Vladimir Yakunin gave a presentation to a foreign delegation led by United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on the programme to develop high-speed rail transport in Russia up to 2030. US Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle was a guest of honour at the presentation.

The first journeys will start on 18 December at 06:45 in the morning, when two trains will depart simultaneously from Moscow and St Petersburg. The journey time will be 3 hours 45 minutes. Each train has 10 carriages, of which two are first class and eight are second class. Basic ticket prices are about $180 for first class and $115 for second class.

From 21 November to 1 December, those who took part in the seminar travelled on a symbolic journey along the Trans-Siberian route from Vladivostok to Moscow, in a special RZD carriage. International Union of Railways (UIC) representative Margrethe Sagevik and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Moscow office representative Lyudmila Khorosheva were accompanied by journalists John Richard Scrase (Great Britain), Roberto Laurenzi (Italy) and Rebecca Vespa (Italy). As part of the environmentalists’ journey across Russia’s railway, stops were made at five major cities – Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow.

Participants in this unique journey met with representatives of local authorities, environmental organizations, and journalists, and also were shown innovative railway technologies. On 1 December, the Train to Copenhagen participants arrived in Moscow. RZD Vice President Oleg Toni, who took part in the ceremonial meeting of the environmental journey participants, said that RZD is playing an active role in environmental protection initiatives. The company has drawn up and adopted an Environmental Strategy up to 2015, with an outlook until 2030, which envisages an environmental impact reduction of 35% by 2015, and 70% by 2030. Since the founding of RZD (from 2003 through 2009), the company has reduced its atmospheric emissions by 34%, liquid waste dumping in surface water bodies by 60%, and industrial water use by 27%.