Siemens Mobility has started the delivery of the third batch of Sapsan high-speed electric trains – the first of them arrived by sea on August 9, 2021 from the German port of Lübeck to Saint Petersburg. The new batch includes 13 trains and after it is delivered to the customer, the Sapsanov fleet will amount to 29 units. At present, the Russian Railways OJSC operates 16 trains of the Velaro RUS series.

Directly at the port, 10 wagons were mechanically coupled into a train. The final assembly, as well as commissioning tests, will be carried out at the Metallostroy depot near Saint Petersburg, their completion is scheduled for December 2021. After that, the train will undergo certification tests, and in the second half of 2022, it will be put into operation. The delivery of the remaining 12 trains will be carried out according to the agreed schedule; the last train is planned to be handed over in July 2023.

The Velaro RUS series trains reach speeds of up to 250 km/h, they are designed for operation at temperatures from –40 to +40 °С. Each 250 m long 10-wagon train can carry 604 passengers. In addition, double trains of 20 wagons, designed to carry 1,112 passengers, operate between Moscow and Saint Petersburg (photo: Siemens).