Plant for producing slabs for Russian HSR to deliver first products in July 2026 - Natsproektstroy
ST. PETERSBURG. Aug 4 (Interfax) - The Natsproektstroy holding has begun constructing a plant for producing ballastless railway slabs (elements for track construction) in the Novgorodskaya special economic zone (SEZ) of the Novgorod region, an Interfax correspondent reported from the ceremony held on Saturday.
The enterprise will produce products for the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway (HSR), as well as for other HSR routes originating from Moscow.
"Here, on Novgorod land, a next-generation plant is being built, where the production of innovative slabs - a key element of the ballastless track for the HSR - will be mastered. Without these elements, the planned travel speeds [for HSR trains] cannot be achieved, so this issue is absolutely fundamental," Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said during the ceremony.
The new production facility will feature automation and robotization of processes, as well as integration of all sites into a unified information system.
"We will produce the first slab already in July next year," Natsproektstroy holding CEO Alexei Krapivin said.
The holding has already invested more than 1 billion rubles in the development of the slabs, Krapivin told journalists after the ceremony. Natsproektstroy plans to invest 12 billion rubles in the construction of the plant and also intends to build another industrial site worth 5 billion rubles.
"The construction of the plant is a driver of regional economic development, a fundamentally new quality of life, and a new level of transport accessibility. Novgorod and the region will be woven into what is probably the most important transport link in Russia. The plant also means new high-tech production and the development of the region's scientific potential," Acting Novgorod region Governor Alexander Dronov said after the ceremony.
The Moscow-St. Petersburg HSR will pass through six Russian regions, connecting Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad regions. The length of the line will be 679 km. Once launched, the HSR will cut travel time between Moscow and St. Petersburg to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The Natsproektstroy holding of 1520 Group and Arkady Rotenberg is Russia's largest infrastructure holding, uniting more than 100 companies that form three core divisions - roads and bridges, railways, and energy and ports. The holding's companies participate in major road and bridge construction projects in Russia, including facilities on the M-12 and other highways, and are also engaged in the development of railway infrastructure, including projects of the Eastern Polygon, the Central Transport Hub and the Moscow-St. Petersburg HSR.
