The key facts

  • The Sapsan train completed 210 runs on the experimental Sablino — Tosno section, with speeds reaching 230 km/h
  • NGP 4.0 reinforced concrete slabs developed by the National Project Construction group were used; more than 1,500 sensors monitored the process
  • Acceptance testing is scheduled for the beginning of winter; the Moscow — St. Petersburg travel time will be 2 hours 15 minutes

First stage of testing completed

In the Leningrad Region, the results of the first stage of testing ballastless track intended for the future high-speed rail line between Moscow and St. Petersburg have been summed up. According to the Russian Railways press service citing a report by Gazeta.Ru, on the experimental section of the Sablino — Tosno test site, a Sapsan train completed 210 runs, reaching speeds of up to 230 km/h.

How the tests went

The tests were conducted in two modes: 130 runs along the straight direction at speeds of up to 230 km/h and 80 runs along the side direction at speeds of up to 140 km/h. The behavior of the train and the condition of the track were monitored by a network of more than 1,500 sensors installed both on the infrastructure and on board the train. Specialists collected over 35 terabytes of data, which are now being processed.

What was tested and what comes next

The key object of inspection was the track structure with NGP 4.0 reinforced concrete slabs, developed by engineers of the National Project Construction group specifically to meet the requirements of the Russian high-speed rail; before being deployed to the test site, the slabs underwent laboratory tests at Russian and foreign institutes. According to Russian Railways, acceptance testing is planned next, to be completed by the beginning of winter. Thus, only the first, research stage of testing the new track structure has been completed so far, and final conclusions are expected based on the results of the acceptance tests.

Project context

A high-speed rail line is a double-track line for trains traveling at speeds from 200 to 400 km/h; the travel time between Moscow and St. Petersburg will be 2 hours 15 minutes. In addition to the Moscow — St. Petersburg route, construction of such lines is planned to Yekaterinburg, Adler, Ryazan, and Minsk. Earlier, as Gazeta.Ru notes, Russia and Belarus signed a memorandum on the construction of a high-speed rail line.