Khusnullin: the Russian authorities do not plan to cancel the construction of the Moscow-Petersburg high-speed rail (VSM) Moscow – St. Petersburg. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. His words are quoted by Interfax.
“We do not plan to abandon the project for the construction of a high-speed highway Moscow – St. Petersburg with passenger traffic,” he said and added that the project could be implemented in several stages. “Now we are focused on creating railway entrances and exits from cities, and in the future we will launch the main course,” Khusnullin clarified.
Earlier it became known that the high-speed railways were questioned and may abandon plans to implement the project. According to the Kommersant newspaper, the option of refusing to build the highway or postponing the date is being discussed at the government level. In particular, the situation was discussed at a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, following which it was recommended to “work out a number of issues.”
The plans to build a high-speed rail line between Moscow and St. Petersburg became known in August. In September, it was included in the preliminary draft federal budget for 2022-24. The construction was supposed to be completed by 2027, after which the highway would be integrated with the third Moscow Central Diameter (MCD).