ON MOSCOW-SAINT PETERSBURG EXPRESS, Russia – Famed for the legendary trains that clank across seven time zones on its Trans-Siberian railroad, Russia this week entered the modern railway age with its first high-tech express train.
The Sapsan train, whose gaudy red bodywork is in sharp contrast to the bottle green that adorns most Russian trains, started running Thursday on the route between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
The route between the countrys two main cities was until now largely served by overnight trains which shared the same romance as the Trans-Siberian railway but crawled to their destination in some eight hours.
But now travelers can take the Sapsan (Peregrine Falcon) which cuts journey time between the two cities to just three hours forty five minutes and appears set to revolutionize the Russian concept of train travel.
It is a centerpiece of Russias plans to modernize its state-owned railways and integrate a network that extends as far afield as China and Mongolia with the railway systems of Europe.
For all the fanfare, the unveiling of the new pride of Russias railways was overshadowed by the deadly bombing of the luxury Nevsky Express train last month on the same Moscow-Petersburg railway.
The train was designed by German engineering giant Siemens, which in 2006 signed a contract with Russian Railways (RZhD) to supply eight of its Velaro trains, in the latest example of German-Russian economic cooperation.
It has a highest speed of 250 kilometers an hour for the 635-kilometer journey, an almost rocket-like velocity compared with the trudge of most Russian trains. Previous day trains along the route had taken four and a half hours. The contrast with Russian trains of the past is even more striking inside with automatic doors, huge glass picture windows and innovations like television in first class. – AFP
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