In autumn 2013 the Russian Government is due to consider the plan for High–Speed Railway–2, which will connect Moscow and the city of Ekaterinburg, in the heart of Urals. Travelling at up to 400 km/h on specially built track the trains will cover about 1600 km in 8 hours, which is 5 times faster than by regular train. The first high speed railway project between Moscow and Saint Petersburg is now being underway, and should be completed by 2017. High–speed transportation became a reality in Russia in 2009, when the 'Sapsan' train made it first trip between Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the summer of 2010 high–speed trains began running between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, and 'Allegro' trains started travelling from St. Petersburg to Helsinki later in December 2010. Among the other highly anticipated fast routes being discussed is a track between Moscow and Vladivostok in Russia’s Primorsky Krai.

Currently the Sapsan and Allegro use conventional lines which has created problems for cargo traffic. “A decade ago developed countries clearly set themselves to divide cargo and passenger railways. Russia’s tradition of rolling everything into one is very bad, from which we need to find an escape,” commented Mikhail Blinkin, a director at the Institute for Transportation Economics of the High School of Economics, to RBC.