Russia’s luxurious high-speed passenger train Sapsan will start running between Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow at the beginning of the fall, a Gorkovskaya Railways spokesman said on Tuesday. Levan Todua said a special commission will determine the date of the first trip. Local transport prosecutors earlier said the railway tracks between Moscow and the central Russian city do not meet the safety norms for Sapsan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint company for investment in Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railroad. The MoU was inked at the end of the fourth meeting of the Iranian and Russian transportation workshop by Iranian Deputy Minister of Road and Transportation in Economic Planning Affairs Majid Assadi, and Russian Deputy Minister of Transportation Alexander Davidenkoff.

Aeroexpress informs its passengers about temporary changes in the timetable on the Savyolovsky Railway Station – Lobnya Station line for the period of February holidays.

Business class coaches are introduced on the Belorussky Railway Station – Sheremetyevo Airport line in February 2010. Features: advanced saloon interior, increased distance between rows, coaches located in head or tail part of train, coaches marked with «BUSINESS» and «БИЗНЕС-КЛАСС» stickers, numbered seats in coaches, only business class ticket accepted for entrance.

The Tver Railcar Works has presented two bilevel passenger cars with six-seat compartments. The bilevel passenger car is new for Russia and will replace some standard cars. This is a car with 16 four-berth compartments: eight compartments on the upper deck and eight on the lower deck.

Russia plans to launch its fastest train, Sapsan, between Moscow and the country’s fourth largest city of Nizhny Novgorod in the summer, the head of the Gorkovskaya railway said on Saturday.

China inaugurated on Saturday a high-speed railway with the world’s fastest train running at a speed of more than 380 kmh (236 mph), the Xinhua news agency said.

Due to the significant increase in passenger traffic in the pre-holiday days, from 24 to 31 December 2009 the Aeroexpress Company will add two addition electric cars to the train, running to the Moscow Vnukovo Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports.

The period of New Year celebrations and winter school holidays RZD willl provide 351 additional trains on 835 journeys, said in the press-service of the company.

On Friday, December 18, high-speed train “Sapsan” will run between Moscow and St. Petersburg (Russıa). Tickets for the train started selling on Friday, November 19 at the Railways ticket office.