Russia: 19 December, the first trainset, consisting of 15 double-deck coaches hauled by the EP2K electric locomotive with a renewed exterior design, departed from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Since 20 December, two Auroras have been running between the two cities twice a day, covering the distance in around five and a half hours at a maximum speed of 160 km/h.
The train can accommodate 1,240 passengers in sitting coaches of two classes, first-class couchette coaches, a staff carriage with seats for passengers with reduced mobility, and a buffet carriage. The coaches are equipped with new bogies of 20 tf.
The rolling stock has been prepared at the TMH facilities, with the locomotive manufactured at the TMH plant in Kolomna, and the coaches produced by the TMH plant in Tver. As reported by Aleksandr Loshmanov, TMH’s Deputy General Director for Passenger Transport Development, a total of RUB 330 mln (USD 3.2 mln) has been invested into the Aurora train revival project.
Previously, the Aurora branded express train was operating on the route between Moscow and St. Petersburg between 1963 and 2010.
