OREANDA-NEWS. On March 25, 2007 Mikhail Akulov, Vice-President at Russian Railways, announced that the Company would aim to introduce European standards of service at its railway stations. Akulov made his announcement while making a presentation about the readiness of the Board of Railway Stations to begin operations during the last meeting of the Management Board of Russian Railways, reported the press-centre of  Russian Railways.

The property of the railway stations belonging to Russian Railways will be rented to interested companies on a competitive basis. On 12 December 2006 the timetable for attracting in civil law immovable property of the stations of Russian Railways was approved. The results of the tender will be announced in November 2007. “All the necessary technical and technological conditions needed to enable the Board of Railway Stations to begin operations are now in place,” announced Mikhail Akulov. “In the future, we plan to increase the financial and commercial independence of the Board of Railway Stations by making it a subsidiary of the Russian Railways’ holding.