First high-speed "Sapsan" train links St. Petersburg and Moscow
To arrange traffic at the speeds of up to 250 kph between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian Railways upgraded the infrastructure along the route. The works got underway in 2006 and finished in November 2009. The scope of works included the reconstruction of the roadbed and the tracks, upgrade of the overhead lines and traction substations, the installation of high-speed switching points, etc. The cost of construction was about 15.4 billion rubles.
The "Sapsan" carriages offer seats in tourist and business classes. The carriages are equipped with a modern air conditioning system and ergonomic seats, including seats for passengers with disabilities. While aboard the train, the passengers are welcome to visit the bistro.
In 2020, Russian Railways won the ECO BEST AWARDS for the introduction of an effective environmental safety system on its high-speed Sapsan trains. Instead of plastic dishes, the Sapsan trains use disposable, eco-friendly, biodegradable packaging (glasses, plates, paper bags, headphone packaging, etc.). The high-speed "Sapsan" trains have the waste sorting system to separate plastic wastes from other types.
The total capacity of one train is over 600 people. Trains ply along the Moscow – St. Petersburg and Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod routes, including double trains.
* The trains were manufactured by Siemens, with the Russia’s leading railway engineering institutes contributing to R&D phase. The train was named after the fastest bird on the planet: sapsan is the Russian name of the peregrine falcon, whose flight speed may exceed 322 kph or 90 mps.