Ural Locomotives Launches Assembly of First High-Speed Train Cars

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Russia's Ural Locomotives plant has launched assembly work on the first batch of domestically produced high-speed train cars for the Moscow–St. Petersburg high-speed railway. Of the 16 aluminum car bodies across the first two trains, 14 have completed welding, with 9 now in the equipment and interior installation phase, undergoing thermal and acoustic insulation, cable laying, interior panel installation, as well as assembly of windows, doors, and pantographs.

The first high-speed trains are configured in 8-car sets. Side windows are bonded to the aluminum car body using an adhesive process to reduce in-cabin noise and vibration during operation; external doors feature reinforced sealing structures designed for speeds of up to 400 km/h and pressure variations caused by high-speed trains passing each other in tunnels, and are equipped with a door status monitoring system that prevents the train from starting if any door is not fully closed.

Installation of the new pantographs designed for the trains has begun. The equipment features a re-optimized aerodynamic structure for high-speed operation, with reduced weight and operating noise, and is designed for an operating temperature range of -50°C to 75°C. The car bodies, doors, pantographs, and interior equipment of the first batch are all configured for operating conditions at speeds of up to 400 km/h.

Ural Locomotives has previously completed welding of the aluminum car bodies for the first head cars and second non-powered cars, and has organized production of the first prototype trains in existing facilities. The plant is also constructing a high-speed train production facility with a total area of approximately 67,000 square meters, including workshops for car body component production, train commissioning, a traction drive test center, and a design center, with construction scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026. Upon completion of the expansion, the plant is planned to have an annual production capacity of 144 high-speed train cars.

According to the production plan, the first two high-speed trains will enter certification testing in 2027. Ural Locomotives plans to manufacture a total of 43 trains for the Moscow–St. Petersburg high-speed railway by the end of 2030, with the component supply chain involving more than 150 enterprises across 36 regions of Russia.

The Moscow–St. Petersburg high-speed railway spans 679 kilometers, passing through six federal subjects: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Moscow, Tver, Novgorod, and Leningrad oblasts, with a planned maximum operating speed of 400 km/h. The line is scheduled to be completed and put into operation in 2028, with a full journey time of 2 hours and 15 minutes between Moscow and St. Petersburg.