Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved directives for the design of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway (HSR), setting a deadline of September 15, 2025, for the completion of all design stages. The directives, published on the Kremlin’s official website, task the Russian government and Russian Railways (RZD) with ensuring the project receives a positive assessment from Glavgosexpertiza (Main Department of State Expertise) by the specified date.

The government and Sberbank are tasked with establishing a framework for utilizing 300 billion rubles from the National Welfare Fund as a primary funding source for the HSR, with a report due by October 1. The plan also includes submitting proposals for streamlining construction procedures by September 15, 2025.

Looking ahead, the government must formulate a comprehensive vision for the development of the national high-speed railway network by the end of March 2026, outlining specific timelines and parameters for each project. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Russian Railways head Oleg Belozerov are responsible for implementing the directives.

The HSR aims to significantly reduce travel time between Moscow and St. Petersburg to 2 hours and 15 minutes. In St. Petersburg, the connection between the new exit from the Ligovsky Prospekt-2 metro station and the HSR terminal is slated for completion in 2029, with the railway’s launch scheduled for April 2028.