Russian Railways may significantly reduce its long-term investment program until 2030, decreasing its volume by more than a third. In particular, it has been proposed to significantly reduce funding for the development of the Eastern Polygon, which may entail adjustments to plans for the modernization of the BAM and Trans-Siberian Railway. The possibility of suspending the development of the northwestern and southern directions is also being considered, while investments in the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway and the purchase of rolling stock will remain unchanged. In parallel, a project is being considered to move the company to "Moscow City", which remains in the program despite the sequestration.
It is expected that in 2025-2030, the total investments of Russian Railways will decrease by 36% - from 12.41 trillion rubles to 7.93 trillion rubles. At the same time, the Ministry of Economy proposes a reduction to 5.7 trillion rubles. In particular, investments in the development of the Eastern Polygon, estimated in August at 3.84 trillion rubles, may be reduced by 1.55 trillion rubles according to the proposal of Russian Railways, and by 6.7 times, to 558.7 billion rubles, according to the Ministry of Economy. This polygon has been the main object of investment in recent years, and now the possible reduction in funding may negatively affect plans to increase the carrying capacity of the BAM and Trans-Siberian Railway.
In addition, the investment program for the development of port approaches has also been proposed to be significantly reduced, including projects in the Northwest and the Azov-Black Sea basin. However, the program for the construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway will remain unchanged, and investments in the purchase and modernization of rolling stock will also be supported, albeit with a slight decrease.
Uncertainty surrounding the sequestration also concerns the costs of Russian Railways' move to an office complex in "Moscow City". Despite criticism from experts related to the lack of need for new offices and the insufficient security of the new premises, the plan to move to "Moscow City" will not be revised. This raises questions among some industry representatives who believe that the funds could be used more effectively.
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