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hidden europe 65

Allegro speculations

by hidden europe

Picture above: An Allegro high-speed train at St Petersburg station prior to the outbreak of the pandemic (photo © Igor Groshev / dreamstime.com).

Summary

No rail operator’s international operations were more brutally affected by the pandemic that those of RZD Russian Railways. Links from Russia to fourteen other European countries were suspended in March 2020, and none of those regular passenger services have yet been restored.

hidden europe 65 / Snippet  / By hidden europe

A real pandemic casualty was the fine range of direct train services between Russia and the European Union. In March 2020, all Russian Railways (RZD) trains from Moscow, serving 14 different European countries, were suspended. With them went the many intra-EU direct links which relied entirely on RZD trains — routes like Paris to Berlin and Nice to Innsbruck. For 20 months now there have been no direct trains from Russia to any EU destination. Services from Russia to Belarus have been restored, with direct trains now running from both Moscow and St Petersburg to Minsk and Brest.

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