OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2011. The modernisation and development of rail infrastructure can improve the economic, social and cultural links between regions and countries, primarily by introducing high-speed passenger services, reported the press-centre of RZD.

According to the Development Strategy of Rail Transport as approved by the Russian Federal Government in Decree No. 887-p on 17.06.2008, one of the international priorities is the Moscow - Minsk - Warsaw - Berlin rail service.

The new international timetable coming into effect in December 2011 will not only see the Company reduce the journey time between Moscow - Minsk - Warsaw - Berlin by about 2 hours, but also extend this service on to Paris.

Russian Railways also plans to make further cuts in the travel time on this route when it switches to the passenger coaches made by the Spanish company Patentes Talgo.

The Talgo platform is a new type of rolling stock which is equipped with variable-width bogies capable of being easily and quickly adjusted to operate on both the Russian broad-gauge track and the narrower Western European lines.

This will save considerable time since trains now have to be hoisted into the air above the track to allow the bogies to be switched from broad to narrow gauge every time the service crosses from the one system to the other.

In February 2011, the President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin and Executive Director of Patentes Talgo Jose Maria Auriol Fabra signed an agreement to conclude a contract for the delivery and maintenance of Talgo passenger coaches.

The contract price and the amount to be purchased, as well as the level of production localisation in Russia, will be determined during subsequent negotiations between the parties.

The contract is due to be signed June 2011.