Reviving River Transport: Saratov Region Intends to Acquire Hydrofoil "Meteors"

"Valdai 45R" Project 23180 to Establish Connection Between Balakovo, Engels, and Saratov

The Saratov region plans to purchase the latest high-speed river passenger hydrofoil ships (HFS) of the "Meteor" type. This was announced by the Governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin.

After 30 years, river transport has been revived in the Saratov region. Thanks to the help of the government and you, we were subsidized a portion of the funds for the purchase of "Valdai" vessels, which we acquired at the Central Design Bureau named after Rostislav Evgenievich Alekseev in Nizhny Novgorod.
Roman Busargin, Governor of the Saratov Region

The second vessel has already arrived in the Saratov region. It accommodates 45 passengers, reaching a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. Vessels of the "Valdai 45R-4" type of project 23180 are designed to move at a speed of up to 65 knots. Their displacement is 21.4 tons, length is 21.3 meters, width is 5.2 meters, and draft is 1.1 meters.

The total length of the route is 159 kilometers. The route connects Balakovo, Engels, and Saratov. The travel time on the route is 3 hours 50 minutes.

The third and fourth vessels will arrive in the region in December 2025, and the fifth – next year.

Earlier, www1.ru reported that the second high-speed "Valdai" on hydrofoils for the Saratov region headed from Nizhny Novgorod.

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