“On 28th February the new “Sapsan” (translation: hawk) high-speed train of Russian railways RZD made its track debut, travelling between Lyuban and Metallostroy stations (“October Railway”, a branch of Russian railways RZD) at a speed of 140 km/h”, said RZD Senior Vice President Valentin Gapanovitch. This was a trial to test the train’s braking system. These tests could not be conducted in Germany due to the absence of a 1520 mm broad-gauge line. The “Sapsan” high-speed train is performing well on Russian network, it moves almost soundlessly, with smooth acceleration and braking.

In a near future the train’s undercarriage and electric systems will be checked by speeds up to 275 km/h, which is 10 % over its maximum operating speed (RZD). The “Sapsan” is produced by Siemens (Velaro RUS series).