At a meeting with journalists on March 9, Yegor Kovalchuk, Deputy Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, stated that the issue of building a high-speed railway line (HSL) between Chelyabinsk and Ekaterinburg will be considered again after the coronavirus pandemic. The project was suspended in April 2020 due to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As explained by the press service of the Ural High-Speed Railway Line Economic Partnership, among other things, this was due to the need to prioritize expenses and reallocate financial and non-financial resources in order to overcome the social and economic crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus infection.
The construction of the 220-kilometer long high-speed line was planned for 2021-2024, at the estimated costs of up to 380 billion rubles. Upon its completion, passenger trains would cover the distance between the capitals of the Middle and South Urals in 70 minutes.
To implement the project, a special economic partnership was established, which included, among others, RWM Capital Investment Group.
