OREANDA-NEWS. March 02, 2010. Russian Railways Senior Vice President Boris Lapidus signed a partnership agreement with the president of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, reported the press-centre of RZD.

The signing of the agreement gives RZD official status as general partner of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Winter Paralympic Games to be held in 2014 in the city of Sochi, general partner of the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees (up to the end of 2016), and also general partner of the Russian Olympic and Paralympic teams (applicable to the Olympic teams of 2012, 2014, and 2016).

"We began our support of the Sochi Olympics long before this agreement was signed", Boris Lapidus said. "Since 2008, RZD has been carrying out a range of projects to build new rail lines, stations, and other infrastructure elements, to enable the shipment of essential construction cargo and equipment during preparations for the Olympics, and to deliver participants and guests to the sporting venues during the games." Dmitry Chernyshenko said that comprehensive and accessible transport links are among the key factors behind hosting successful Olympic Games.

"RZD is a recognized leader, with more than 150 years of experience in the construction, development, modernization, and running of transport infrastructure, and also the only company in Russia capable of providing the necessary level of transport services amid Sochi’s mountainous terrain, and with 20,000 guests and participants in the Olympic and Paralympic games travelling along non-standard routes every hour", Dmitry Chernyshenko said.

The International Olympic Committee’s global partners who have signed agreements for the 2014 Sochi Olympics are Coca-Cola, Atos Origin, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, and Visa. Russian Railways is implementing six infrastructure projects of great importance in preparing Sochi for the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Winter Paralympic Games.

They include a combined road/rail link between Adler and the Alpika-Service mountain resort, a rail line linking Tuapse, Adler and Vesyoloye, a rail line from Adler to Sochi Airport, and passenger terminals at railway sub-stations.