Russian railway operator RZD extends Talgo services to its most popular routes
The Russian railway operator RZD (Rossiyskie Zheleznye Dorogi) has entrusted Talgo with new services as it will use Talgo compositions to expand the capacity of one of its most popular passenger routes, connecting the country's two main cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg. Aside from this new service, which will begin operating on 20 August, Talgo’s compositions will provide an additional service between St. Petersburg and the city of Samara.
- Talgo trains will connect Moscow-St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg-Samara
- Talgo’s state-of-the-art compositions can operate at a speed of 200 km/h, and are specially adapted to endure Russia’s extreme climatic conditions
The new services operated by Talgo trains will allow the Russian operator to increase traffic on the railway line, offering a comfortable and safe alternative to air travel, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, Talgo's exclusive technologies, such as the lightness and natural tilting of its cars, in addition to its unique system of independently rotating and self-guiding wheels, will help reduce journey times without the need for new investments in infrastructure.
The state-of-the-art compositions, which belong to Talgo's Intercity train platform, have been branded "Swift" by RZD (“Strizh” in Russian), in reference to their lightness and the ability to easily circulate across the curves, up to 25% faster. The seven Talgo trains in Russia can reach 200 km/h in commercial service and have been operating the Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod route since June 2015 and connecting the Russian capital with Berlin (Germany) since December 2016.
From the Baltic to the Eurasian Steppe
The Moscow - St. Petersburg route operated by Talgo trains was the country's first main railway line and was inaugurated in 1851. With a length of 650 km, it is still one of the main railway lines in Russia today, and the second most popular of the RZD network.
The St. Petersburg-Samara route, operated by Talgo trains, is about 1,800 km long and connects the country's two main cities with the ninth largest city in terms of population. Founded in the 16th century, Samara is today one of the main technological and logistical centres of Eastern Russia. The complete route of this Talgo service will take just over 18 hours, compared to the minimum 33 hours of other services.
Talgo in Russia
The Spanish company has a maintenance base in Moscow of more than 15,000 m2. The plan counts on three tracks of 500 meters long each and employs more than 70 people. Talgo maintains the trains operated by RZD (accumulating more than 8 million km) in these covered and air-conditioned facilities.
www.talgo.com
