The speed of trains is divided into design, maximum, design, running, technical, sectional, route. The speed of cargo delivery is also highlighted.

Structural called the highest speed that the locomotive design provides. Maximum permissible It is customary to call the speed of train movement, which is allowed to develop on a section (direction) by the state of technical means (tracks, artificial structures, carriage chassis, brakes, etc.). Calculated is the minimum permissible speed at which a locomotive can travel along a design lift of unlimited length with a train of the maximum weight established for a given locomotive and lift. Each series of locomotive has its own design speed. Chassis speed is the average speed of a train without taking into account the time spent on stopping, acceleration and deceleration during stops, but taking into account constant restrictions when traveling through intermediate stations and other places where slowing down is required, km/h:

Where – section length, km; – the sum of the running times for the section without taking into account the time for acceleration and deceleration, h.

Obviously, the running speed cannot exceed the design and maximum (permissible) speed.

Technical speed is the average speed of the train without stopping, taking into account accelerations and decelerations. It is determined by dividing the distance between station stations by the time the train is in motion, including the time for acceleration and deceleration during stops, passing stations and other places with speed limits (km/h):

.

Precinct speed – the average speed of trains within the section, taking into account the time spent on stopping, accelerating and decelerating (km/h):

,

Where T uch - total time for the train to travel along the section, hours; – total time of train stops at intermediate stations of the section, hours.

To evaluate how successfully the technical speed is used in the graphics, the so-called speed coefficient is derived:

Route speed shows the average speed of the train along its entire route, km/h:

,

Where – distance covered by the train along its entire route, km;

The railway has existed for hundreds of years. And during this time, trains have gone through a huge evolutionary path from massive trolleys moved by hand traction to super-fast cars operating on the principle of Today, there are express trains in almost every country. Let's see what the fastest train is in Russia and the world. Here is a rating of express trains that can reach speeds of over 300 kilometers per hour!

Belgium

In eleventh place are the Belgian high-speed trains of the TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse). These trains were developed back in early 1987 and were supposed to run from Amsterdam to Paris, passing through Cologne and Brussels. Express trains were put into operation in 1997.

The modern HSL 1 runs on the high-speed line that connects the Belgian capital with the French railway. The train travels from Paris to Brussels (300 km) in just 82 minutes. And its average speed is close to 300 kilometers per hour. By the way, this method of transportation is not cheap. A high-speed train ticket costs 88 euros (half the price of air travel). However, there is an attractive

Taiwan

The top ten fastest trains in the world are opened by the Taiwanese locomotive THSR 700T. Long, dynamic and exclusive. The prototypes and examples for its creation were the Japanese Shinkansen trains. The maximum operating speed of the Taiwan Express is 300 kilometers per hour. However, in 2005 the mark reached 315 kilometers. Which allowed the THSR 700T to enter the top ten fastest.

The locomotive runs from Northern Taipei to Southern Kaohsiung. Twelve comfortable carriages can accommodate up to 989 passengers in one trip. The train is famous not only for its speed, but also for its safety and accuracy.

Germany

Ninth place in the ranking is occupied by German high-speed trains InterCity Express (ICE). The speed of this model on the Strasbourg-Paris railway reaches 320 kilometers per hour. Today, ICE express trains are the main German long-distance trains. They are also delivered to the nearest and to Russia (for example, the high-speed train Moscow - St. Petersburg).

Germany began developing high-speed models back in 1985, when the country was divided into two parts. And the first train got on the rails in 1991, after the unification. The ICE-V test model reached a speed of 407 kilometers per hour in test mode. However, it was not put into operation.

In 1984, Transrapid began developing a test railway line between the cities of La Tène and Derpen, operating on the Maglev system. On this line, trains will be able to reach speeds of up to 420 kilometers. But due to the disaster that occurred on the line in September 2006, which claimed the lives of 23 people, the launch of Maglev was postponed indefinitely. Today, locomotives run along this railway line only as excursion tours and attractions.

England

In eighth place in the ranking are UK high-speed trains. The best representatives are British Rail Class 373 and Eurostar. Their speed ranges from 300 to 335 kilometers. These TGV series (French model) electric trains entered service in 1994 and operate between three countries: Great Britain, France and Belgium. Their path lies through the famous railway tunnel under the English Channel. By the way, this tunnel is the second longest in the whole world.

If we return to speed, we need to talk about the record set by the Eurostar locomotive in 2003 - 334.7 kilometers per hour. The entire journey from Paris to London for such a train takes 136 minutes.

London trains are the most spacious in the world. They can carry up to 900 passengers. In addition, the high-speed Eurostar is considered one of the longest locomotives - it reaches 394 meters in length and has 20 carriages.

South Korea

Seventh place in the ranking is occupied by the Korean electric train KTX Sancheon. Its speed is from 305 to 352 kilometers. The locomotive began its first route in 2009. The developer is the world-famous company Hyundai Rotem, which took French TGV technology as the basis for creating the locomotive.

The electric train is owned by the South Korean National Railway. And despite the record set in 2004 (352 km/h), the speed of the express train almost never exceeds 305 kilometers. All this is for safety reasons, of course. KTX Sancheon is a spacious (up to 363 passengers), comfortable and modern model, operating on the routes Seoul - Busan and Yongsan - Mokpo (via Gwangju).

Italy

In sixth place is the Italian express ETR-500. Its full name is Elettro Treno Rapido 500. The train was launched in Rome in 1993. The average operating speed of the express train is 300 km/h. Well, the locomotive set its record of 362 kilometers in 2009, while moving through the tunnel connecting Bologna with Florence.

The time it takes the ETR-500 to cover its route (Bologna - Milan) is just under an hour. By the way, this year in Italy it is planned to produce six locomotives of the new generation ETR-100. These cars will be able to reach speeds from 350 to 400 km/h.

Spain

The top five fastest trains are Spanish high-speed trains produced by the trading company Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE for short. This abbreviation is not accidental. In Spanish, "ave" means "bird". The company's most famous model is the luxury express AVE Talgo-350. It really flies like a bird, reaching speeds of 330 km/h.

AVE Talgo-350 is a high-speed comfortable train with a capacity of up to 318 people. It runs between Madrid, Valladolid and Barcelona. In 2004, during tests and tests, the locomotive was able to accelerate to its maximum speed - 365 km/h. By the way, it is also called “duck”. The train received this nickname due to its long front, which in appearance strongly resembles a duck’s beak.

China

Both fourth and third places are occupied by Chinese high-speed locomotives.

In fourth place is the “pure Chinese” CRH380A. Its manufacturer is the largest national company for the production of railway vehicles - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The locomotive reaches speeds of up to 380 kilometers per hour. And during the tests he set his own record - 486 kilometers. CRH380A is a comfortable and spacious high-speed train Beijing - Shanghai, Shanghai - Hangzhou and Guangzhou - Wuhan. It began making its daily flights in September 2010.

Third place goes to the Chinese Shanghai Maglev Train. It is capable of reaching speeds from 431 to 501 kilometers per hour. The train operates on the Maglev magnetic suspension principle, which the Germans never adopted. By the way, Shanghai Maglev was developed not by the Chinese, but by the same Germans. And its prototype was the German locomotive Transrapid SMT. The Chinese high-speed train was put into operation in 2004 in the city of Shanghai. The maximum speed at which it travels daily on its route Shanghai - airport does not exceed 431 km/h. However, he can do more. During testing, the locomotive was accelerated to 501 kilometers per hour!

France

The second fastest trains in the world are the French TGV series. They travel routes from France to Switzerland and Germany. The average speed of the models is 320 km/h. The record was set in 2007 and was 574.8 km/h.

The French high-speed trains of the Train a Grande Vitesse system are among the most famous and fastest in the world. They broke world speed records several times. The development of such models began in France back in the 1960s. This was a kind of response to the creation by the Japanese of their Shinkansen. Today France boasts huge high-speed lines (more than 1,700 kilometers), as well as 4,000 locomotives of seven types.

Land of the Rising Sun

So, we come to the fastest train in the world. And this is the Japanese Shinkansen series. The speed of the high-speed train is 581 km/h. She breaks all world records to date. Japan became the first country to dedicate separate lines to high-speed routes from its railway system. The first such train made its pilot flight in 1964. This was timed to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics. Route: Tokyo - Osaka.

The first Shinkansen locomotive was designed in the shape of a bullet, hence the name. Even today they are called “bullets” in the old fashioned way. This also symbolizes their high speed feature. Express trains really fly at the speed of a bullet. The normal speed for the Shinkansen is 443 km/h. And the absolute world record, which was set in 2003, reaches 581 kilometers.

The modern Shinkansen is a comfortable high-speed express train consisting of sixteen durable and stable cars. The Japanese locomotive is not only the fastest in the world, but also the safest. Over the forty-five years of operation, trains of this brand have never been involved in major accidents! No casualties, no damage - complete safety.

By the way, Tokyo's railway network is the busiest in the world. During its existence, Shinkansen trains have carried more than six billion passengers! No other line can boast such numbers.

The fastest, the safest, and also the most accurate in the world. Thus, the locomotive covers the distance from Osaka to Tokyo in 145 minutes. And in 2003, having completed 160 similar flights, the Shinkansen deviated from the schedule by only six seconds...

Russia

Our country, of course, cannot boast of such impressive figures, and they do not reach 300 km/h. However, we can also boast of high-speed routes.

Until 2009, the ER200 train ran on the Moscow - St. Petersburg route. Its speed, as can be understood from the name, was 200 km/h. And during testing, the locomotive was able to accelerate to 210 kilometers. In 2009, this miracle of technology was written off and replaced by the Sapsan high-speed train. The locomotive received this name in honor of the peregrine falcon, which is considered the fastest bird in the world. The train was designed and assembled in Germany. At its peak it can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h. The manufacturer (Siemens) set the maximum design speed at 350 kilometers per hour. During testing on our railways, the locomotive was accelerated to 290 km/h. The Sapsan train moves along the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. He covers this distance in four hours, the average speed is 166 km/h. It is no longer dispersed for safety reasons. By the way, the express train traveling from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod generally moves at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour...

In Russia, in second place after Sapsan is the high-speed train Lastochka. It was also developed by the German company Siemens. He was specially sent to Russia for the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It consists of five carriages and reaches 130 meters in length. Can also be operated in dual mode (with the addition of five more cars). The speed of the “Swallow” is lower - up to 160 km/h. It is designed for commuter routes and is equipped with high platforms. Today such trains run from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. And also as electric trains in Sochi and Tuapse.

In Russia, unlike other countries, there are no separately dedicated high-speed lines. Both the high-speed train “Lastochka” and the no less fast “Sapsan” run on pre-existing, albeit modernized, tracks. In addition, to introduce these express trains, several slower routes had to be eliminated. This, in turn, caused a lot of discontent among the local population. Moreover, the cost of tickets for such trains is quite high, even by the standards of Europe and Asia. For a trip in a locomotive from Moscow to St. Petersburg, you will pay the same amount as you would pay if you flew there by plane.

The fastest trains in Russia and the USSR

Russia is not a country with the fastest railways, and we are still very far from Japanese and French supertrains, but this was not always the case and in our country there have always been attempts to create our own high-speed trains, and a sufficient number of locomotives and trains have been created whose high-speed the characteristics are far from being so bad, and in their class they are not inferior to their foreign counterparts. Our rating contains only Russian or Soviet-made trains created at domestic factories. You can say that without Sapsan and Allegro this is not a rating, but it is a shame for us in a country like Russia to look with our mouths open at our neighbors and buy from them, and not create our own, so the rating will be exclusively from domestic trains.

I will not claim 100% reliability, but will build my rating based on available data, because there are many myths about the acceleration of this or that locomotive, but as usual there is a lack of documentary evidence. And so let's begin our top ten fastest Russian and Soviet trains.

TEP70

TEP70 is in tenth place in our ranking. This locomotive is the main diesel workhorse in passenger transportation on Russian Railways. The basic design of the diesel locomotive is so successful that it can be accelerated to very high speeds, but the design maximum speed is 160 km/h. There is no doubt that the locomotive is capable of reaching high speeds, and there were even rumors that it was accelerated to 220 km/h in tests, but the long-term speed is only 50 km/h, which does not allow us to place it higher in our rating. The diesel locomotive began operation in 1973, and its improved modification TEP70BS is currently being produced. It is produced at the Kolomna plant, and to date there are 300 of these machines and another 25 TEP70U driving around Russia.

In fact, there are plenty of locomotives with a design speed of 160 km/h in Russia, but this is the only diesel engine with such indicators, and it is also so widely produced, which is why it deserves its place.

"Martin"

Of course, it would be hard to call the Lastochka a purely Russian train, but it is the next one on our list of the fastest Russian trains. The main contribution to the creation was made by the same Siemens. The one who brought the Peregrine Falcons to Russia. Essentially, these trains are Siemens Desiro localized for our conditions. These locomotives are assembled at the Ural Locomotives plant, located in the city of Verkhnyaya Pyshma. The maximum design speed of a swallow is 160 km/h, but in fact the actual speed is somewhat lower, however, such trains are simply ideal for Russian roads, because often we simply have nowhere to accelerate faster. The main purpose is suburban or intercity transportation over short distances up to 200 km. At the moment, 46 ES2G trains have already been produced.

EP2K

EP2K is perhaps the most long-awaited locomotive of our time. In the USSR, this niche was successfully occupied by Czechoslovak emergency units of various models, and Soviet factories did not really strive to compete with them, and thus for a long time we had practically no high-speed passenger locomotives of our own production on electric traction. At the turn of the century, the first similar models began to appear in our country, however, they were all either slower, such as EP1, or, on the contrary, faster, but something completely different was required, namely the replacement of Czech emergencies. This task was successfully completed at the Kolomensky plant and in 2008 the EP2K went into production. The maximum operating speed is 160 km/h, but the locomotive can easily go faster, and the continuous speed is 90 km/h. At the moment, more than 300 EP2K locomotives have already been produced and in the future they should completely replace ChS 7.

"Oriole"

In 2014, the Tver Carriage Works presented its newest train, which was named EG2Tv Ivolga. The design speed of the train is 160 km/h, but Russian Railways made it clear that this is not exactly what was expected from the plant. For such speeds they are already producing the Lastochka, and the Oriole needs to be “accelerated”. There are rumors that during testing, a train consisting of three motor cars was accelerated to 250 km/h on a straight section, but this has not been documented anywhere, and the full train does not yet produce such a speed. At the moment, it is on the basis of the Ivolga that a passenger train is being created that can accelerate to 250 km/h, and time will tell whether Tverskoy Vagonostroitelny will be able to accomplish this task, but for now two trains have been built, which from 2017 will be tested on the Kiev direction of the Moscow Railway.

Steam locomotive type 2-3-2

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a real boom in speed records in a variety of industries. Planes, cars, steam locomotives - all this moved faster and faster, and new records were set almost every year, and every developed country sought to join the elite by having high-speed transport. The Soviet Union did not lag behind in this direction, especially considering our distances. In 1936, the first project of the 2-3-2k steam locomotive of the Kolomna Plant appeared, which developed a power of 3070 hp, which allowed it to accelerate to 150 km/h. Through modification, the maximum speed increased to 170 km/h. The locomotive was successfully tested and showed excellent results, but the outbreak of war did not allow serial production of the model. At the same time, the Voroshilovgrad Plant also worked on improving the steam locomotive, and created a slightly faster model under the number 2-3-2B, which had a design speed of 180 km/h. He set his last record in 1957, when he reached a speed of 175 km/h.

EP20

Ep200

The top three fastest domestic trains opens with the experimental locomotive EP200, built at the Kolomensky Zavod in 1996. The EP200 appeared at an extremely unfortunate time, when it seemed to be very much needed, but there was no money for its creation, testing and modification. The design speed of the locomotive was 250 km/h, but in operation the speed was limited to 200 kilometers. There is no exact data on the maximum speed during testing.

For all its high-speed advantages, it was not destined to go on regular flights. At first, the EP200 did not shine with reliability, especially at high speeds. And after eliminating the shortcomings, it was never accepted, and in 2009 it was finally written off with the wording “Russian Railways does not need electric locomotives of this type,” which looks not just strange, but simply like direct sabotage in favor of the German Sapsan, since it was precisely its competitor, especially since on the basis of the EP200 the development of the EP250 and EP300 was already in full swing, the operating speed of which was supposed to be 250 and 300 km/h, respectively. After all the misadventures with the locomotive, the Kolomensky Plant focused on the production and improvement of TEP70 and EP2k. Perhaps in the near future we will still see high-speed locomotives and trains that will leave the gates of the Kolomna plant, but it will not be EP200.

Falcon 250

The fate of this train was no less sad than the EP200. The technical requirements for the development of a new train for high-speed transportation were ready in 1993. The leading development company was the Central Design Bureau for MT "RUBIN". Sokol 250 went to its first tests in 1998, during which everything possible was tested, and the train itself reached a maximum speed of 236 km/h, while its design speed was 250 km/h. During the tests, quite a few different but correctable shortcomings were found, and in fact the train was 90% ready. However, for unknown reasons, the project was canceled and the Falcon was sent to a museum. In fact, along with this locomotive, all the developments in creating such high-speed trains were ditched, and if we now try to do the same thing, we will have to start virtually from scratch again.

TEP 80

Ahead of its time - this is exactly what they said about the fastest Russian locomotive. It’s funny to say, but the fastest locomotive in Russia is not an electric locomotive, but a diesel locomotive TEP-80. When it was created, the TEP 70 was taken as a basis, which was not so fast, but had excellent potential for development. TEP 80 was equipped with a one and a half times more powerful engine with a capacity of 6000 hp, and it was this engine that allowed the locomotive to accelerate during testing to a record speed for Russia of 271 km/h. By the way, this record has not been broken by more than one diesel locomotive in the world to this day.

It was manufactured at the Kolomensky Plant in 1988-89, but the chaos in the country of the Soviets was not conducive to such breakthrough developments. The tests were carried out by the plant, and with the collapse of the union, no one needed the diesel locomotive at all. The speed record was set in 1993 and recorded on camera. Why this project has not yet been restored remains a mystery, but it has gone into oblivion just like Sokol and EP200 and is gathering dust in a museum, never going on regular flights, although our railways still need such locomotives, but If necessary, it will have to be built from scratch.

We continue to talk about unusual things and next up are devices whose value can hardly be overestimated - trains!

The history of trains in general is a hymn to speed and reliability, passing through intrigue and a huge amount of money, but we are interested in the 10 fastest trains of our time.

The world of trains looks unusual today, this is due to the fact that since 1979, the classic rail train has been joined by its highly technological brothers, machines from the future - “Maglevs” (from the English magnetic levitation - “magnetic levitation”). Hovering proudly above the magnetic surface and driven by the latest advances in superconductors, they could become the transport of the future. In view of this, for each we will indicate the type of train and under what conditions the record was obtained, because somewhere on board the express there were no passengers, somewhere even drivers.

1. Shinkansen

The world speed record belongs to the Japanese maglev train; on April 21, 2015, at a special section during testing in Yamanashi Prefecture, the train was able to reach a speed of 603 kilometers per hour, with only the driver on board. This is simply an incredible number!

Test video:

Adding to the insane speed is the amazing silence of this super train; the absence of wheels makes the ride comfortable and surprisingly smooth.

Today, the Shinkansen is one of the fastest trains on commercial routes, with a speed of 443 km/h.

2. TGV POS

The first fastest among rail trains, but the second overall, on the planet (as of 2015) is the French TGV POS. The amazing thing is that at the time the speed record was recorded, the train was accelerated to an impressive figure of 574.8 km/h, while journalists and service personnel were on board!

But even taking into account the world record, the speed of the train when moving on commercial routes does not exceed 320 km/h.

3. Shanghai Maglev Train

Next, we have third place given to China with their Shanghai Maglev Train, as the name implies, this train plays in the category of wizards hanging in a powerful magnetic field. This incredible maglev maintains a speed of 431 km/h for 90 seconds (during this time it manages to swallow 10.5 kilometers!), which reaches the maximum speed of this composition, during testing it was able to accelerate to 501 km/h.

4. CRH380A

Another record comes from China, the train with the incredibly euphonious name “CRH380A” took an honorable fourth place. The maximum speed on the route, as the name implies, is 380 km/h, and the maximum recorded result is 486.1 km/h. It is noteworthy that this high-speed train was assembled and launched entirely based on Chinese production facilities. The train carries almost 500 passengers, and boarding is similar to an airplane.

5. TR-09

Location: Germany – maximum speed 450 km/h. Name TR-09.

Number five is from the country of the fastest roads - autobahns, and if in terms of speed on the roads Germany can really be classified as the fastest country, then trains are far from number 1.

In sixth place is a train from South Korea. The KTX2, as the Korean bullet train is called, was able to reach 352 km/h, but currently the top speed on commercial routes is limited to 300 km/h.

7. THSR 700T

The next hero, although not the fastest train on the planet, still deserves special applause, the reason for this is the impressive capacity of 989 passengers! considered one of the most spacious and fastest modes of transport.

8. AVETalgo-350

We arrive at the eighth place and stop in Spain, we are on board the AVETalgo-350 (Alta Velocidad Española) nicknamed “Platypus”. The nickname stems from the aerodynamic appearance of the leading carriage (well, you can see for yourself), but no matter how funny our hero looks, his speed of 330 km/h gives him the right to participate in our rating!

9. Eurostar Train

9th place Eurostar Train - France, the train is not so fast 300 km/h (not far from our Sapsan), but the capacity of the train is impressive 900 passengers. By the way, it was on this train that the participants of the famous TV show Top Gear (now deceased, if you love it like me, thumbs up!) in season 4, episode 1, they competed with the amazing Aston Martin DB9.

10. Peregrine Falcon

In 10th place, of course, you need to put the Italian “ETR 500” with its good 300 km/h, but I would like to put our quite fast Sapsan. Although the current operational speed of this train is limited to 250 km/h, its modernization (and rather the modernization of its routes) will allow the train to travel at a speed of 350 km/h. At the moment, this is impossible for many reasons, one of them is the vortex effect, which can knock an adult off his feet at a distance of 5 meters from the tracks. Sapsan also sets a funny record - it is the widest high-speed train in the world. Although the train is built on a Siemens platform, due to the wider gauge used in Russia, 1520 mm, versus the European one of 1435 mm, it became possible to increase the width of the car by 300 mm, this makes Sapsan the most “pot-bellied” bullet train.

At the end of 2012, the average speed of a freight train in Russia was 9.1 kilometers per hour. This is not only several times less than the same figure in the world's largest economies, but even lower than the speed of an experienced cyclist. At the same time, the situation is worsening every year, and the low speed of cargo delivery puts an end to plans to transform Russia into a bridge between Europe and Asia.

By the end of 2012, the speed of freight trains had fallen below the levels of forty years ago. In the 1970s, the average freight train traveled at a speed of 229 kilometers per day; in 2012, the figure was 219 kilometers per day. The industry showed its worst results in the 1980-1990s. Thus, in 1997, the average commercial speed of freight trains (taking into account not only the travel time itself, but also the time spent on loading, unloading and parking) was 8.3 kilometers per hour. In the 2000s, the figures grew, but since 2010 they began to decline again.

We are talking about the commercial speed of trains, which is calculated as the distance over which cargo needs to be delivered divided by the train's travel time. Thus, the indicator takes into account the time while the cars were loaded and unloaded, as well as while the train was at technical stations or sidings. The speed of trains between sections (two stops) is certainly much higher and on average in Russia is 40-50 kilometers per hour. For companies, commercial speed is, of course, more important.

Even in its best years, freight trains on Russian railways traveled at a commercial speed of 11.6 kilometers per hour (280 kilometers per day), which is significantly lower than other major economies. Thus, in China and Germany the average speed of trains is 50-60 kilometers per hour, and in the USA it is about 45 kilometers. According to Anatoly Fedorenko, head of the department of logistics infrastructure management at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the share of transport costs in the cost of products in Russia is 20 percent. For comparison, the global average is 9-10 percent, and, for example, in China - 13 percent.

The low speed of cargo delivery by rail not only has a negative impact on economic growth, but also puts an end to the project, which can roughly be called “Russia - a bridge between Europe and Asia.” Although its geographical location could bring Russia billions of dollars from transit cargo from Asia-Pacific countries to the EU, so far transportation along the Trans-Siberian Railway makes up less than a percent of cargo turnover between Asia and Europe. Trains are more expensive than sea transport, but in the case of transportation from China to Germany, the advantage of the railway is speed. But it is precisely this advantage that Russia cannot yet use.

A recent study by the Hong Kong Institute showed that when transporting goods via the Trans-Siberian Railway instead of by sea, a company can either win or lose in terms of delivery time, while definitely losing in terms of quality, says Fedorenko. On Russian railways, cargo loss often occurs and the quality of service remains low. According to the World Bank's Doing Business rating, Russia ranks 90th out of 150 countries reviewed in terms of logistics level, and 85th in terms of railway development. To this it is worth adding delays at Russian customs, which generally ranks 130th out of 150 possible in terms of speed of clearance.

Narrow places

It is customary to blame “outdated, Soviet infrastructure” for the long delivery times of goods by Russian railway, but such an explanation is at least incomplete. According to the general director of the INFOLine-Analytics agency, Mikhail Burmistrov, Russia cannot be compared with other countries due to the different cargo base and degree of routing. The fastest way to deliver by rail is by trains, which run along specific routes at predetermined times.

In the Russian Federation, on the contrary, group transportation is the most popular, when cars heading to different places are attached to the train. In this case, time is lost on passing stops or on adding new freight cars to the train. At the same time, there are many regions in the country from which it is very difficult to route trains, the expert adds. In addition, in his opinion, the scheme of benefits and discounts for companies deciding to route their cargo has not yet been finalized. In Russia, the degree of routing is 40-45 percent versus 60 in other large economies, Fedorenko clarifies.

Photo: Alexander Kryazhev / RIA Novosti

The second reason is the lack of technical and marshalling stations designed to disband trains and form new ones. The main reductions in such stations took place in the 1990s, when freight traffic fell and there was not enough money to maintain them. Many stations were closed, through which too few trains passed. Now, due to the increase in cargo turnover, they are needed again, but restoration requires investment.

In addition, there are many so-called “bottlenecks” on Russian railways. According to Fedorenko, now in Russia there are 7-8 thousand kilometers of single-track railways, and over the next few years, as a result of wear and tear on still operating tracks, this figure may increase to 13 thousand. At the same time, less than 200 kilometers of second tracks were built last year, which does not solve the problem. Anatoly Fedorenko points out that financing activities that would remove bottlenecks is far from the most important place in Russian Railways’ expenses, since the state monopoly prefers to spend on the purchase of locomotives and high-speed rail service.

In January 2012, it became known that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to write off the old cars. The initiative is being taken by the Ministry of Transport, which believes that in this way transportation can be made safer. It is assumed that owners of wagons will be prohibited from extending their service life. Currently, about 20 percent of the Russian rolling stock fleet are cars with extended service life. It is believed that reducing the number of cars will help get rid of their surplus, but, according to Anatoly Sidorenko, due to the high profitability of 18-20 percent, car owners will very quickly increase their fleet again.

As for the decline in commercial train speeds over the past few years, this trend is caused by an increase in the number of cars, which has not been kept up with the quality of railway transport management. Currently, there are about 1.2 million carriages in Russia; according to Russian Railways, their surplus is estimated at 200-300 thousand. At the same time, the fleet of locomotives lags significantly behind the cars, and many locomotives are significantly worn out.

According to Mikhail Burmistrov, the quality of dispatch services in Russia has also dropped significantly recently. If the state system in the USSR (and Russian Railways now) was aimed at technical standards (for example, reducing the mileage of empty cars), then private operators are guided by the principles of commercial efficiency. A regulatory framework that would make it possible to smooth out contradictions in interests has not been developed, Burmistrov concludes. Russian Railways, in his opinion, is now following the path of least resistance - the state monopoly is “tightening the screws”, forcing shippers to report a month in advance how much cargo they intend to ship and when. However, it is not at all necessary that the company that has completed this procedure will receive the cars on time.

Private or public?

The need to reform the Russian railway industry was discussed back in the 1990s, but real reform only started in the early 2000s. At that time, the Russian Railways company was an absolute monopolist, controlling passenger and freight transportation, as well as the entire railway infrastructure. In 2003, freight cars began to be transferred from Russian Railways to private companies, but the state monopoly retained its status as the only carrier owning locomotives. It was assumed that as a result of the creation of independent carriage companies, prerequisites would appear for the privatization of locomotives.

The privatization of carriages has produced both positive and negative results. By the beginning of the 2000s, the rolling stock was very worn out, and it was possible to update it only through private investment. At the same time, it was the desire of private owners to increase the number of cars that became the reason for the surplus, which, among other factors, began to lead to a drop in transportation speed. On the other hand, increasing capacity is a feature of private business, since without some surplus it will not be able to provide its services when they are needed, Fedorenko believes.

The Soviet railway infrastructure was created with a planned economy in mind. So, for example, if a particular enterprise needed carriages, then the nearest rolling stock was sent. With the transition to the market, the situation changed. Now, if a large holding mines coal in Kuzbass and transports it to Murmansk, it moves empty cars throughout the country. And when the owner of the wagons sells his services to any company, the latter receives not the nearest rolling stock, but the one that the owner of the wagons has, even if it is located a thousand kilometers away.

As for locomotives, the government considered two options for allowing private companies to operate them. The first option is the participation of private carriers in competitions for a route on a certain, most often dead-end, section of railway tracks. After this, the winning carrier effectively becomes a monopoly on this site. The second option is the opportunity for private companies to operate in the same way as commercial air carriers, that is, to compete on the same route. At the beginning of the railway reform, it was assumed that first private owners would have the right to compete for the route (the first option), and only then they would be able to compete on the routes (the second). However, in the second half of the 2000s, the reform of the locomotive fleet clearly failed.

The government is currently actively discussing the idea of ​​using funds from the National Welfare Fund (NWF) and that part of the pension savings managed by VEB to finance infrastructure projects. It is assumed that companies such as Russian Railways will be able to issue special infrastructure bonds, which will be bought with money from VEB and the National Welfare Fund. Currently, the state corporation VEB manages 1.4 trillion rubles of pension savings (those citizens who did not transfer them to NPFs), and the volume of the National Welfare Fund exceeds two trillion. However, at the initial stage it is planned to allocate only 100 billion to infrastructure.

Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin has repeatedly stated that locomotives should remain owned and managed by the state monopoly. By the end of 2012, he even began to say that the railway reform in Russia was completed. The main arguments of Russian Railways against the creation of competing carriers are the loss of control over a complex industry, as well as the increase in costs for shippers due to the commercial interests of private operators. In addition, Russian Railways does not want to lose the income that the company receives by maintaining a monopoly on locomotives. On the other hand, an influx of private investment could solve the problem with the shortage of locomotives, as it has already worked with cars.

Market participants note that they are forced to intensify work with government agencies in order to achieve continuation of the reform. According to Anatoly Fedorenko, after some time, perhaps in 3-4 years, private companies will be able to convince the government to continue privatization of the industry. But even if there are more locomotives, trains will still run slowly due to a lack of infrastructure. The deficit of the Russian Railways investment program already amounts to 2.1 trillion rubles, and private companies are not yet ready to invest in the construction of tracks and marshalling stations, and the authorities are almost not discussing the possibility of their participation in the construction of infrastructure.

If Russia is ever destined to become a bridge between Europe and Asia, it will certainly not be in the near future. According to the industry development program developed by the Ministry of Transport and currently being discussed in the government, by 2015 the commercial speed of trains should increase to 13 kilometers per hour, which is still much less than in China or the United States. However, according to Mikhail Burmistrov, it is better to make the criterion not the speed of trains as such, but the quality of transportation. “Another thing is that the state still has absolutely no understanding of what Russian Railways should look like,” he says. “If it is an infrastructure company, then it should only deal with the maintenance of tracks and stations, if it is an infrastructure and locomotive company, then it needs to take care of transportation in general.” In the near future, the government will have to resolve at least this issue, otherwise the reform of the industry, on which the country’s economy largely depends, will drag on for another ten years.