German Company To Help Build Russia’s New Mega High Speed Trains

Knorr-Bremse, a German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles, has formed a partnership with Russia’s state-owned national oil operator Russian Railways, or RZD, and the Russian Engineering Center for Railway Transport to construct a new class of very high-speed trains in Russia.

The first trains under the agreement – which will have speeds greater than 186 miles per hour -- are expected to start running in 2026.

“As the global technology leader we are proud to be part of this seminal and prestigious mobility project for the Russian rail transportation sector,” says Jurgen Wilder, a member of the executive board of Knorr-Bremse and who is responsible for its rail vehicle systems division. “Russia’s investments in state-of-the-art rail infrastructure underline the key role of railways as a safe, highly available and efficient means of transportation.”

Knorr-Bremse will specifically provide its technical expertise in the areas of pneumatic braking, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and high-pressure door systems able to operate at extreme velocities.

Harald Schneider, a member of the management board of Knorr-Bremse’s rail vehicle systems and responsible for activities in the Commonwealth of Independent States region, said: “Knorr-Bremse is looking forward to helping conceptualize the Russian very high-speed trains of the future, thus helping to provide people with even better rail connections. In the long term, we will also work with our partners to commercialize this next generation by localizing it for the [60-inch] gauge area.”

Knorr-Bremse noted that the routes between Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as between Moscow and Russia’s fifth-largest city, Nizhny Novgorod, are presently served by 16 Sapsan high-speed trains, with 13 more trains of the same type scheduled to join.

Sapsan trains were manufactured by Siemens, also of Germany.

All Sapsan trains are equipped with braking, entrance, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, systems, windscreen wipers and power electrics from Knorr-Bremse. These trains go as fast as 155 miles per hour.

The new, faster trains will operate on these existing routes and gradually replace the Sapsan fleet.

Sergey Kobzev, deputy general director & chief engineer of RZD, said this agreement will “undoubtedly contribute to the development of high-speed rail services in the Russian Federation.”

“Knorr-Bremse is the center of expertise for a number of high-speed train systems,” said Alexander Kireytsev, director-general of the RZD Railway Engineering Institute. “Cooperation with them will significantly increase the competencies of our center’s engineers.”

Knorr-Bremse is majority-owned by German billionaire Heinz Hermann Thiele, who is also a major stockholder in Lufthansa, Germany’s national airline.

Last October, Moscow Times reported that the mega high-speed rail project will cost about $36 billion, $9.4 billion of which will come in the form of direct state grants or cheap government-backed loans. The remainder will be financed directly by RZD.

The upgraded 409-mile line between Moscow and St. Petersburg will cut journey times by 40% to two hours and 40 minutes.

RZD also said the new lines will carry 47.4 million passengers a year.