St. Petersburg and Helsinki are now connected with high-speed highway

December of last year was marked by a pleasant surprise for all the tourists, who prefer to travel by railways and who keen on Scandinavian countries and Finland in particular. Russian Railways, in cooperation with the state railway company of Finland - Suomen Valtion Rautatiet (VR) launched on the route of Helsinki - St. Petersburg a new high-speed train - Allegro.

The new high-speed train Allegro, which is operated by the Finnish-Russian joint venture Oy Karelian Trans LTD, made its first trip on December 12, 2010.

Created by the French engineers of the engineering company Alstom, a new high-speed train has reduced the journey time between Helsinki and St. Petersburg from weary 6 hours to unbelievably short span of 3 hours 36 minutes. The speed of the new train Allegro is 220 km / h on Finnish territory and 200 km / hour in Russia, which significantly reduces travel time on the Russian territory.

According to the representatives of the Russian Railways, such significant results in reducing the travel time has been achieved not only through the use of most modern engineering technology, but also due to a significant decrease in the time of passing through customs and passport control at the border between Finland and Russia.

The total project cost on launching the high-speed train Allegro is estimated at 2 billion euros and involves several stages of implementation. At this moment on the route Helsinki - St Petersburg are made 2 trips at 10:00 and 15:00. From St. Petersburg train leaves daily at 6-40 and 15-25, with stops at such stations Vyborg, Vainikkala, Kouvola, Lahti, Tikkurila and Pasila. According to the Russian Railways by the summer 2011 it is planned to increase the number of trips in each direction up to 4 per day.

The new high-speed train Allegro is created by the French company and includes nearly 350 seats for passengers. In the carriages of the second class there are 296 passenger seats, and tickets are sold at a cost of 84 euros and 104 euros (for passengers with pets). Also there are 48 seats of the first class, which cost is 134 euros. There are also created conditions for passengers in wheelchairs.

Passenger seats of the new high-speed train are equipped with modern technology and maximum comfort for the travelers: adjustable seats, folding table, comfortable footrests and absolutely indispensable for the modern tourist electrical outlets for cell phones and laptops.

In all Allegro trains there is a dining car and a playroom for children. Unfortunately, tobacco amateurs, according to widespread European tradition, cannot smoke in the high-speed Allegro trains.