Plans for the design and construction of the high-speed railway linking Moscow and St. Petersburg were outlined for 2024–2028. The government of the Russian Federation has presented this timeline as part of the investment project, emphasizing both the design phase and the infrastructure buildout, which includes acquiring the necessary rolling stock, spanning from 2024 through the first quarter of 2028.
According to the document, the commissioning of the railway infrastructure is slated to begin in the second quarter of 2028. In the lead-up to this milestone, statements from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin confirmed that work on the Moscow–St. Petersburg high-speed route had entered the construction phase.
Project projections indicate that once the line is operational, travel between the two cities could be reduced to approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. Russian Railways is engaged in developing a dedicated high-speed train for the main line, with the overall cost of the project estimated at about 1.7 trillion rubles.
Earlier remarks from President Vladimir Putin referenced plans to extend high-speed railway lines to additional regions within Russia, signaling a broader strategy to improve intercity connectivity through fast rail.