RUSSIA: PPP concessionaire BaltNedvizhService has inaugurated the first phase of the Kupchino – Shushary – Slavyanka fast light rail route to the south of St Petersburg.
The line is being developed by a joint venture of ABZ-1 and Gazprombank under a 30-year agreement signed with the city in October 2019. It is separate from the city’s tram network operated by Gorelektrotrans, but has been designated as Route 2 in a unified numbering scheme.
The initial 4·4 km section which opened on December 24 links high-rise residential areas in Shushary to the city’s metro network at Kupchino, the southern terminus of Line 2. There are five stops, including a roofed pavilion with turnstile entrances at the Kupchino interchange.
The first phase of the route was the most technically challenging, requiring two long overpasses crossing three motorways and two railways.
Services are initially operating every 5 min, requiring six of the 10 Type 71-932 Nevsky three-section fully low-floor double-sided LRVs which have so far been delivered by PK TS under a 4bn rouble contract for 22 vehicles which was signed in May 2023. The end-to-end journey time is 17 min.
The full 21 km route with 15 stops is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The total cost of the project, including the rolling stock, has been put at more than 50bn roubles. This includes a contribution from the city as well as funding raised by the concessionaires.
