Russian high-speed rail, this matter is finally settled. With 1.7 trillion rubles smashed, the high-speed railway project from Moscow to St. Petersburg officially started construction and is scheduled to open to traffic in 2028.

Supposedly, this matter should be "who chooses the technology is glorious". As a result, people have a question mark in their hearts: China's high-speed rail was not selected, and the European one was not fully accepted. Russia just chose a "self-decided" technical scheme, but used the EU gauge standard.

Is this a technical consideration, or something else?

Technology does not depend on others, but the track runs through the European Union.

The most eye-catching thing about Russia's high-speed rail project is not the investment amount or the start time, but the "technical roadmap".

It does not follow the Chinese route, nor does it rely entirely on Europe. The official statement is that it "takes local technology as the core". As soon as this came out, two words popped up in many people's minds: "safety".

Simply put, Russia is afraid of "being stuck in the neck". High-speed rail is not a simple railway with a locomotive. Its lifeblood lies in the dispatching system, signal network and train control, all of which are a complete set of "invisible technical skeletons".

Once these things are controlled by foreign companies, it is difficult to think about the key moments to say it for yourself. In the context of the conflict in Russia and Western sanctions, Russia¡¯s nerves are naturally tightened.

But the question arises. Since localization is emphasized, why does the gauge use EU standards?

Talking about autonomy while connecting with Europe, this abacus is not simple

Traditional Russian railways use 1520 mm wide railway, but this high-speed railway project adopts the EU standard railway range. This change is not only a change in technical parameters, but more like a gesture adjustment.

Russia itself hasn¡¯t stated why it has chosen this range, but the answer is not difficult to guess from its geographical location and trade structure.

The European market remains important to Russia, whether it be freight transportation or future human exchanges, and the railway is a stable passageway.

The unified track range means that in the future to Poland, Finland and these countries to transport goods, do not change the car, do not adjust the track, and increase the efficiency.

High-speed rail is not just about building roads

Russia is not the first time to say to engage in high-speed rail.Already in 2015, China and Russia signed a cooperation agreement between Moscow and Kazan High-speed Railways, when it was also said to use Chinese technology, and the result of the project was dragged and dragged.

This time the board directly on the Moscow-St. Petersburg line, a bit of the smell of "abandoning the past".

The investment of this high-speed rail is 1.7 trillion rubles, and the calculation behind it is more than just saving passengers time.

The explanation given by Russia's top level is: to drive the domestic manufacturing industry. more straightforwardly, is to make this project the engine of "industrial bloodshed".

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was accused for a decade of "selling only oil", and now the Putin administration intends to bring back to life the old machinery, steel, electronics, through high-speed rail.

This path will work, but from the design of the project, they are indeed ready to involve more than 150 local enterprises.

It¡¯s not just doing business, it¡¯s more like a ¡°national industrial training class.¡±

However, there are also many problems. Russia¡¯s high-speed railway currently has the biggest shortcomings, which are technical backwardness and lack of experience. High-speed railway is not the usual railway, in extreme cold conditions, vehicle freezing, track cracking, system stability, all are technical difficulties.

Although Russia has a scientific foundation, it is really in the manufacturing of high-speed rail cars, and the experience is almost empty. Even if European companies like Targo are involved in the design, it is only "assisted".

Not to mention the financial pressure, the Russian finances have been squeezed by sanctions over the years, and 1.7 trillion rubles are not a small number.

The aircraft carrier was built without money, the space station project was also shelled, and now the high-speed railway can hold for five years, no one dares to pack the ticket.

Is China ¡®abandoned¡¯?

In fact, this problem can be seen from two sides.

As a result, Chinese high-speed rail technology does not enter the main force line of the Russian project. From the point of view of technological maturity and cost-effectiveness, China¡¯s high-speed rail is the real ¡°king of cost-effectiveness¡±, but this time Russia is clearly more concerned about ¡°who says it¡± than ¡°who is cheap and who is good¡±.

But don't rush to the conclusion that "Sino-Russian cooperation has broken down" or "abandoned".

The actual situation is that China-Russia stillins technical exchanges in the fields of extreme cold rail, heavy cargo transport, and the strategic cooperation between China and Russia is far more than a high-speed rail.

In energy, aerospace, digital currency and other sectors, the two countries still maintain close cooperation. There is no cooperation in this high-speed rail project, but it is more because Russia has chosen an approach that can better take into account the interests of all parties under the consideration of "stabilizing the situation".

Especially in the current context of an increasingly complex international situation, Russia's strategy of "not relying on death and not offending anyone thoroughly" seems more like a pragmatic choice than an emotional choice.

Beyond the high-speed rail, it is Russia¡¯s ¡°self-help logic¡±

On the surface, Russia is repairing high-speed rail for the sake of repairing it. But if you put this matter in a larger timeline and geographical background, you will find that it is actually a "national self-help experiment".

Western sanctions are getting tighter and tighter. Although China is a partner, Russia also understands that any single dependence is dangerous. In this crack, it can only constantly look for the "second way".

High-speed rail projects are just a shortcut of this strategy, and more similar moves are underway, such as developing domestic chips, such as buying domestic aircraft, such as pushing for ruble settlement.

This does not mean that Russia wants to "close its doors to the outside world". On the contrary, it is trying to find a "selective opening up".

The rail gauge dispute over high-speed rail projects is a concrete manifestation of this geographical balance.

From China's perspective, there is no need to feel disappointed because this project failed to cooperate successfully. China's high-speed rail has been implemented in Indonesia, Thailand, Hungary and other places, and its technological influence continues to expand.

In the long run, China-Russia cooperation will not be cooled by a high-speed railway, but may be more clear on the borders and direction of future cooperation due to Russia's "autonomy" attempt.

ended

This high-speed railway route, Russia is not easy to go. technology to come by itself, the track range again look to Europe, in it mixed with too many real considerations.

When a country wants to control its own destiny, it often has to make trade-offs between cost, efficiency and autonomy. Russia's choice this time may not be the optimal solution, but it is at least the "safest" step it considers.

It is uncertain whether the high-speed rail will be as expected, but it can be assured that it leads not only to two cities, but also to the direction of Russia¡¯s future.