How the Moscow-Petersburg high-speed railway will be financed – Kommersant

According to the head of the Ministry of Transport, Vitaly Savelyev, the HSR project has two sections – from St. Petersburg to Zelenograd worth 1.755 trillion rubles, which is planned to be built under a concession, and exits from Moscow, financed from the investment program of Russian Railways (total 221.5 billion rubles). Previously, it was assumed that there would be three sections and the development of exits from St. Petersburg would fall, like the Moscow section, on JSC Russian Railways. Mr. Savelyev also announced the name of the concessionaire – “High-Speed ​​Railway – Two Capitals”. Information about the founders is not disclosed in the databases; the director, Dmitry Gavrilov, is known. Moscow and St. Petersburg stated that they are ready to become part of the concessionaire; according to the mayor of the capital Sergei Sobyanin, all regions along the route of the HSR will also participate in its financing “to the extent possible.”

To finance the construction, the minister asked for 580.6 billion rubles. from the National Welfare Fund at 3% per annum with a return by 2050. Scenarios with less spending by the fund, Mr. Savelyev explained, are unrealizable due to the inability to attract debt financing in excess of 1.5 trillion rubles. for a period of more than 20 years due to the presence of a limit per borrower and the lack of sufficient liquidity in the banking sector. In total, state support, taking into account funds from the National Welfare Fund, will amount to 609 billion rubles, including 28.5 billion rubles. capital grant from the budget. RUB 218.5 billion it is planned to contribute 290 billion rubles to the authorized capital of the concessionaire. bonds of the Gazfond will amount to 903.8 billion rubles – attracted funds from banks.

Natalya Skorlygina