Rail shuttle to link Sheremetyevo and city Center

Moscow Authorities, Railway Ministry and Aeroflot General Director signed an agreement to build a unique high-speed rail track that will link together Sheremetyevo Airport and the city center.

The Railway Ministry has long been working on that project and calculating its cost, which it has finally put at $57 million. According to the ministry's studies, Russia's first high-speed railroad track will be highly lucrative and is expected to pay back in seven years. The project is to be funded by creditors.

The first stage of construction will start with the laying of a rail track that will link Sheremetyevo Terminal 3 (currently being built) to Leningradsky railway station. The link will ultimately consist of two 30-km lines. For passengers, the rail link will be the most convenient, reliable, and cheap way of travelling to and from the airport, as trains will conveniently arrive and depart according to a timetable. Besides, the train journey will cost several times less than taking a hard-to catch taxi. The shuttle service will have six specially designed, high-comfort trains that will speed at 70 km per hour on average, taking air passengers from downtown Moscow to the airport within 25 to 30 minutes. Another good thing about the rail link is that it will take some of the burden off the congested highway, to the relief of motorists driving to and from their dachas.

The project's second stage will see the laying of a track to the Moscow City business center, and further on to Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. In the span between Paveletsky railway station and Domodedovo, construction work will have been completed to make Pavaletsky railway station and Domodedovo airport into a single engineering complex. As a result, air passengers will be able to register right at Paveletsky railway station regardless of the time of departure of their flights from Domodedovo airport. On the order of Moscow city authorities, routes to Vnykovo airport and to the town of Zelenograd near Moscow have already been mapped out.

shuttle — челнок

lucrative — выгодный

to pay back — окупаться

hard-to-catch — труднодоступный

congested — перегруженный

take off— уменьшать

regardless — независимо

map out — планировать

authorities — власти