Plans unveiled for new £144bn high-speed rail link from Moscow to Beijing that could cut Trans-Siberian journey time by 4 Days

 

China and Russia are considering building a high-speed rail line thousands of kilometres from Moscow to Beijing that would cut the journey time from six days on the Trans-Siberian to two.

 

The project would cost more than $230bn (£144bn) and be over 7,000km (4,350 miles) long - more than three times the world's current longest high-speed line, from the Chinese capital to the southern city of Guangzhou.

The railway would be a powerful physical symbol of the ties that bind Moscow and Beijing, whose political relationship has roots dating from the Soviet era and who often vote together on the UN Security Council.

The two signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this week during Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Moscow in which Beijing expressed interest in building a fast rail link between the Russian capital and Kazan in the oil-rich Tatarstan region, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.

The 803-kilometre line would be the first stage of the route to Beijing, CCTV said.

The £144bn construction would mean trains wouldn't have to travel through Mongolian capital Ulan Bator

At present, trains between the two run along the Trans-Siberian railway that links Moscow and Vladivostok, before switching to a branch line heading south through the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator.

The current Trans-Siberian route takes six days between Beijing and Moscow  

 

Direct passenger trains between Beijing and Moscow went into operation in 1954 and there are still two services per week

At 9,216km (Moscow-Vladivostok) it is the longest direct rail route in the world, and entirely within Russia. The Moscow-Beijing route is shorter, at 9,001km. 

The Moscow-Vladivostok route is served by the Rossiya, whereas Moscow-Beijing routes are usually achieved by using a combination of sectors on different trains.