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Putin approves design of Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway

The Kremlin spokesman mentioned the need to connect the two largest cities in the country with high-speed rail links

© Piotr Kovalev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the start of designing a high-speed railway line between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The president has really approved the start of designing such a line, it was an initiative of [interim governor of St. Petersburg Alexander] Beglov together with Russian Railways," he said.

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Earlier, Vedomosti newspaper reported that the design of the highway between the two capitals had begun.

Speaking about the grounds for the project’s approval, Peskov mentioned the need to connect the two largest cities in the country with high-speed rail links.

"Increasing the speed of this connection by an extra hundred kilometers [per hour] will accelerate the circulation of economic life along these railway "capillaries" in general," the Kremlin representative added.

According to Peskov, the final decision on the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway has not been made yet.

"No final decision has been taken, the work will be continued to clarify the economic feasibility, economic opportunities, timing, and so on," he said.

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