OREANDA-NEWS. June 21, 2010. Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin held a working meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Transport Minister Kostiantyn Yefymenko, and Ukrainian State Railways Director Mykhailo Kostyuk, reported the press-centre of RZD.      

The parties discussed cooperation in railway transport, in particular the development of high-speed services between Russia and Ukraine.

After the discussions, Vladimir Yakunin and Mykhailo Kostyuk signed an agreement on joint work between Russian Railways and Ukrainian State Railways to create high-speed passenger services.
To develop international high-speed passenger train services, the parties agreed to work on the following routes: Moscow – Byransk – Suzemka – Kiev; Moscow – Kursk – Belgorod – Kharkov - Rostov – Adler; and Moscow – Kursk – Belgorod – Kharkov – Simferopol, Sevastopol and Feodosiya.

The Moscow – Kiev line was agreed to be the priority route for creating a specialized high-speed passenger service.

To reduce travel times by cancelling or substantially reducing border and customs control, the sides agreed to draft a request to state authorities on changing the system for border and customs control for all potential high-speed passenger trains.

Also, as an initial step towards providing high-speed passenger services, the companies cited the reduction in quantity and duration of technical stops of passenger trains through the use of EP-20 dual-voltage locomotives with speeds of up to 200 km/h, which will avoid the need to change locomotives during the journey.

Under the document, the sides also agreed to consider the purchase and use by the State Administration for Railway Transport of Ukraine of electric trains produced in Russia.