Russia Greenlights HSR Between Moscow, St. Petersburg

10 Jun 2024 CW Team

In a major infrastructure move, Russia has approved the construction of its first high-speed passenger railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The project, announced during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, will be funded with billions of dollars from the state budget.

The 679 km railway, set to cost over 2.3 trillion roubles ($25.97 billion), aims to reduce travel time between the two cities from 4-5 hours to just 2-2.5 hours. Russian-made trains traveling at 360 km/h will operate on this route.

The project will be developed by VSM Two Capitals, a Russian company, using both state and private funds. The government plans to allocate at least 300 billion roubles in loans from the National Welfare Fund at 1% interest in 2025 and provide about 328 billion roubles in subsidies between 2024 and 2038.

Former Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev highlighted that the National Welfare Fund will contribute over 580 billion roubles, with additional funding from Russian state-owned banks VTB, Sberbank, and Gazprombank. Sberbank's head, German Gref, confirmed the bank's participation in financing the project.

This initiative comes as Russia considers raising taxes on companies and the wealthy to increase next year's budget revenues by an additional $30 billion, potentially boosting spending on infrastructure and its military efforts in Ukraine.

Real Estate

08 May 2026

Integrated Waterproofing Strategies

Waterproofing buildings used to be an annual pre-monsoon affair but the evolution of real-estate development has changed that approach. In new developments, developers are weaving waterproofing solutions into both the design and construction phases, an approach that Nikhil Madan, Managing Director, Mahima Group, says, “is all about ensuring lasting durability [of the building] and keeping lifecycle risks including water seepage and extensive maintenance to a minimum.”Watertight by designAluminium formwork systems aren’t commonly thought of as a waterproofing tool but at the Mahima Group,..

GROHE Showcases Water-Led Design At Milan

GROHE unveiled its GROHE SPA Aqua Sanctuary at Milan Design Week 2026, transforming Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato into an immersive showcase of water, design and wellbeing. Built on the philosophy of ‘Wellbeing Through Water’, the installation reimagined bathrooms as holistic spaces for relaxation, rejuvenation and self-care.The Aqua Sanctuary was presented through three interconnected sanctums. The first showcased the 3D-printed GROHE SPA AquaTree shower and faucet, highlighting bespoke innovation and biophilic design. The second featured the Atrio Private Collection and GROHE SPA x Buster..

Rahee Group Expands Rail Manufacturing Capacity

Rahee Group has outlined a multi-year investment roadmap to expand its operational footprint and strengthen manufacturing capabilities for India’s growing railway and urban transit sector. The Group is expanding in Odisha with a new Track Component Casting Unit, for which the groundbreaking ceremony was held on 8 April 2026 in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.The Group’s flagship EPC arm, Rahee Infratech Ltd, continues to focus on complex rail infrastructure projects, including track systems, bridges, viaducts and ballastless infrastructure. Its wholly owned subsidi..