OREANDA-NEWS. The date 17 January 2010 marked one month since the launch of the high-speed Sapsan train service between Moscow and St Petersburg. From 17 December 2009 to 17 January 2010, high-speed Sapsan trains carried 77,043 passengers, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

The Sapsan service’s average daily passenger count is around 2,500. The Sapsan trains run three times daily on a mirror timetable, departing simultaneously from St Petersburg and Moscow in the morning, day, and evening. Each train has 10 carriages, of which two are first class and eight are second class.

Basic ticket prices are: 5300 rubles for first class, and 3300.2 rubles for second class. The price of a first class ticket includes hot food (with a choice of meals), as well as reading materials and travel packs (containing ear plugs, eye masks, and slippers), and also children’s packs. Passengers in second class carriages can order hot food from the bistro carriage for additional payment, use the internet, and also access video and audio programmes.
 
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The Sapsan is a high-speed electric train of the Velaro RUS series produced by Siemens Transportation Systems, and capable of a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The train was named after the fastest bird on the planet. The peregrine falcon, known in Russian as the sapsan, can reach speeds of over 322 km/h, or 90 m/s.