VTG announced on October 13 that Morgan Stanley Infrastructure has acquired 29% of VTG’s share capital, becoming the company’s largest shareholder.

A TOTAL of 6.1 million passengers were carried during the first month of operation on the Moscow central ring railway.

AN agreement to develop mail coaches for operation between China, Russia and western Europe was signed by managing director of Tver Carriage Works (TVZ) Mr Taras Spivak, Deputy director general of Russian Post Logistics Mr Alexey Skatin, and head of Siemens Mobility Russia Mr Jörg Liebscher at last week’s Sochi International Investment Forum.

ST PETERSBURG Metro has awarded a Roubles 13.4bn ($US 207m) contract to Oktyrbrsky Electric Plant (OEVRZ), a subsidiary of Transmashholding (TMH), for 27 six-car metro trains.

RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony to mark the launch of passenger traffic on the Moscow Central Ring railway on September 10.

TRANSPORTNAYA Koncessionnaya Kompanya (TKK), a consortium of Lider Group and LSR Group, in St Petersburg, Russia, has placed an order with Stadler for 23 Metelitsa trams. The first six vehicles are due to handed over in July 2017.

URAL Locomotives presented the last of 33 ES2G Lastochka EMUs for the Moscow Ring Railway to Central Suburban Passenger Company at Podmoskovnaya depot in Moscow on August 22.

THE Russian city of Rostov-on-Don has awarded PC Transport Systems, Russia, a Roubles 528.4m ($US 8.3m) contract to supply 16 type 71-911E City Star trams for the city’s standard-gauge tramway network.

RUSSIAN Railways subsidiary, RZD Logistics, launched a test of a refrigerated container train carrying fruit and vegetables between Russia and China on August 8 in what hopes will become a regular service.

MOSCOW tramway operator Mosgortrans confirmed on August 8 that it has launched a tender for a contract to supply and maintain 300 low-floor LRVs.