DVORIKI /Vladimir Region/, August 16. /TASS/. The construction of the Moscow-Kazan fast-speed rail link will be launched in 2018, First Vice President of Russian Railways Alexander Misharin said Wednesday.

"We will launch the construction next year," he said, adding that the engineering will be completed in 2017.

The Moscow-Kazan rail stretch may eventually become a part of the Moscow-Beijing fast-speed railroad whose construction is estimated at 7 trillion rubles ($120 bln) and the Silk Road project intended to link China with markets in Europe and the Middle East. Russian Railways President Oleg Belozerov said earlier that the fast-speed rail link may be launched into operation before 2022-2023.

China intends to provide a 400 billion-ruble loan for the Moscow-Kazan fast-speed rail link project for 20 years along with over 100 bln rubles as a contribution to the authorized capital of a special purpose company.

The German Initiative consortium comprising Siemens, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Bahn and other companies has offered Russian Railways 2.7 bln euros for the project’s financing and up to 800 mln euros to be raised for the project

The Moscow-Kazan fast-speed rail link will be about 770 km long, with trains expected to move at a speed of 400 km/hr and stops every 50-70 km. The high-speed journey from Moscow to Kazan will take 3.5 hours compared to the current 14 hours.