Published on: 2026-08-25
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin and CEO — Chairman of the Board of JSC “Russian Railways” Oleg Belozerov took part in the presentation of the two-story passenger train, which will start operating on the Moscow — Yaroslavl route on August 26.
“The President’s directive continues to actively develop. One of the main railway directions is Yaroslavl, the busiest, most complex, and most challenging. Quite a few suburban trains are still morally outdated and are being actively replaced. Today, 40 percent of suburban trains have already been replaced, the quality of these trains has improved, and the number of passengers has increased. The next stage is long-distance trains to Yaroslavl. Currently, six trains operate. In August, we are launching two more trains, which means the volume of passenger seats will increase by a third. This will significantly alleviate congestion on this route. Furthermore, according to the program, the number of trains will continue to grow and eventually reach 18 pairs. This is a completely different story, with clockwork scheduling and comfort. This is a completely different volume of passenger flow. It is a close connection with one of the historic cities of our country — Yaroslavl — and a solution to accumulated transport problems,” noted Sergey Sobyanin.
The Mayor of Moscow also spoke about carrying out design work for the modernization of Yaroslavsky railway station. Construction work will begin in December 2026.
“You have seen the standard we set for the reconstruction of Leningradsky railway station. This is a completely different quality, a different level of passenger service. The same will be here. Plus, we will try to connect Yaroslavsky and Leningradsky railway stations so that there is a unified territory, essentially the largest transport hub in our country,” added Sergey Sobyanin.
The Yaroslavl route is the busiest section of the Moscow Railway, the Central Transport Hub (CTU), and Russian railways as a whole, as well as in Europe. On weekdays, 284 pairs of trains run here, and about 360,000 trips are made. The minimum interval between trains during peak hours is a record 2.7 minutes for railway traffic.
The Yaroslavl direction connects the capital with major cities in the Moscow, Vladimir, and Yaroslavl regions. Among them are Mytishchi, the important centers of Russian cosmonautics Korolyov and Star City, as well as Pushkino, Shchyolkovo, the spiritual center of Russia Sergiev Posad, the Golden Ring cities Alexandrov, Rostov Veliky, and Yaroslavl. More than two million people live in the Yaroslavl direction area.
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Modernization of infrastructure and renewal of rolling stock on the Yaroslavl direction
In recent years, a large-scale infrastructure development project has been implemented on the Yaroslavl direction. Here, the fifth main track was built on the Moscow — Mytishchi section (18 kilometers) and the fourth main track on the Mytishchi — Pushkino section (12 kilometers). This has significantly increased the capacity of the entry into the capital. In 2025, a large-scale rolling stock renewal program began on four Moscow Central Diameters (MCD). This allowed for the planned renewal of trains on the Yaroslavl direction.
“By the end of the year, there will be 35 trains of the latest generation ‘Ivolga 4.0’ and ‘Korolek’ (EP2DM) operating on the line. We plan to complete the main update by 2030, purchasing another 55 train sets,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow on his channel.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s channel on in the “Max” messenger
This is almost 40 percent of the total fleet on the Yaroslavl line. Thanks to the delivery of larger capacity trains, the number of passenger seats will increase by 16 percent.
The renewal of the Yaroslavl direction fleet will be mostly completed in 2030. About 90 trainsets will be replaced in total. The trains are manufactured by the Tver Industrial Engineering Cluster, with which a long-term service contract for 40 years has been signed.
In August 2026, two pairs of additional trains will appear on the Moscow — Yaroslavl route: from August 1, an additional pair of “Lastochka” trains is already running, and from August 26, an additional pair of double-decker trains will start operating. As a result, the number of passenger seats will increase by one third.
“From Moscow to Yaroslavl — just three hours. A unique service. At the moment, out of 874 tickets, 580 have already been sold, which means there is demand for this very intensive service. I am grateful to Sergey Semenovich for the continuous improvement of the rolling stock and the increase in the number of the most modern trains. ‘Ivolga 4.0’ is here, ‘Ivolga 5.0.’ Plans are scheduled in the near future that by 2030 the intensity of traffic will triple,” said Oleg Belozerov, General Director and Chairman of the Board of JSC Russian Railways.
Before the train upgrades on this route, the trains had an average age of 18 years.
“Starting from 2027, at least half of the trains on this route will be double-decker. As a result, the passenger flow between Moscow and Yaroslavl will increase from 5,300 to eight thousand people per day,” the Mayor of Moscow wrote on his channel in
Source: Sergey Sobyanin’s channel on in the messenger “Max”
In addition, by 2030 it is planned to modernize the traffic management system, as well as to strengthen the energy infrastructure and undertake other local measures on certain sections of the Yaroslavl direction (beyond the city of Sergiev Posad). As a result, the number of trains will increase from eight to 18 pairs per day, and the interval between trains will be one hour (parameters will be specified after approval of the main design decisions). Passenger flow will increase from eight thousand to 20 thousand people per day.
Modernization of Yaroslavsky Railway Station
On June 20, 2025, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Sergei Sobyanin and Oleg Belozerov approved plans to modernize the Yaroslavsky railway station. The renovation will be carried out according to the standards of Moscow transport, as was done at the Leningradsky railway station — with an emphasis on quality, accessibility, and care for every passenger. The project is being implemented by Government of Moscow. The project includes the organization of new exits and entrances to the metro station, replacement of engineering equipment, repair of roofing and facades, as well as the creation of additional space for passengers.
During the modernization, the historic part of the station building will be restored. The key changes will affect the interior space: the structure will become modern and convenient for all categories of passengers. Special attention will be given to creating clear navigation and comfortable transfers from one type of transport to another.
The works will also affect the platform infrastructure. An upgrade is planned for the canopies over the suburban train platforms with a total area of about 10,700 square meters, as well as the installation of canopies over the long-distance platforms covering 3,700 square meters. Over the pedestrian area connecting Leningradsky and Yaroslavsky railway stations, a large canopy nearly 12,800 square meters in size is planned to be installed.
As a result of the reconstruction, Yaroslavsky Station will be more closely integrated into the unified transport framework of the capital. The throughput capacity of the suburban zone will increase significantly. Transfer time to the metro will be halved. All the experience gained from work at Leningradsky Station will also be applied to Yaroslavsky.
Currently, the survey has been conducted and the design is being finalized. It is planned to enter the site to start work in December 2026. The project is planned to be completed by the end of 2028.
Moscow’s Yaroslavsky Railway Station is the undisputed leader in suburban traffic volumes in Russia. It is also one of the largest transportation hubs in Europe by the number of suburban passengers — about 80,000 people on a working day. By 2035, this number is expected to grow to 106,400 people per day. Suburban trains depart from the station to Monino, Mytishchi, Pushkino, Sergiyev Posad, Fryazino, Shchyolkovo, Alexandrov, and other major settlements in the Moscow and Vladimir regions. Additionally, Yaroslavsky Railway Station is the “zero kilometer” mark of the Trans-Siberian Railway, from which trains depart to Vladivostok.
Currently, many residents and visitors of the capital pass by the trains without using the station’s infrastructure and services due to inconvenient logistics. As part of the renovation, it will become more in demand and comfortable for all categories of passengers. The station is part of the transport hub “Three Stations Square,” which is used daily by about 350 thousand passengers. In addition to the three main stations — Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky — it also integrates two metro lines (Sokolnicheskaya and Koltsevaya), two Moscow Central Diameters (MCD-2 and MCD-4), as well as surface urban transport (electric buses, buses, and trams).
By 2040, due to the development of the MCC and the launch of the high-speed rail line Moscow — Saint Petersburg, the total passenger traffic of the hub will increase by 40 percent and reach about 500 thousand people per day. Therefore, it is already important today to ensure sufficient carrying capacity.
Sobyanin and Belozerov opened the new Moscow-City MCD-1 city station11 “Ivolga 4.0” electric trains will be purchased for the Yaroslavl direction by the end of the year
Rolling stock upgrade at the Central Transport Hub
The Central Transport Hub is the largest railway hub in Russia, covering 11 federal subjects of the Russian Federation. These are Moscow, Moscow Region, Vladimir Region, Ivanovo Region, Kaluga Region, Kostroma Region, Ryazan Region, Smolensk Region, Tver Region, Tula Region, and Yaroslavl Region. Approximately 31 million people live in the CTU regions, where almost 75 percent of all suburban railway transportation in Russia is carried out (about 3.1 million passengers per day).
The Central Transport Hub development project is being implemented under the directive of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to significantly improve railway connections between the Moscow agglomeration, regional centers, and major cities of neighboring regions.
The development of the CTU is a joint program of the governments of the Russian Federation and Moscow, the administration of the Moscow region, and JSC “Russian Railways”. It is part of a national project “Infrastructure for Life”. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
In 2010, the rolling stock fleet at CTU mainly consisted of outdated, low-comfort electric trains. They were hot in summer and cold in winter, the seats were uncomfortable, and there was no navigation or sound insulation.
From 2011 to 2026, 496 new train sets were purchased, including a complete replacement of trains on the MCD in 2025. The pace of rolling stock renewal at CTU is the fastest in the world.
The new train sets are equipped with climate control and air sterilization systems, feature clear navigation and media screens, ergonomic seats, and gadget chargers. The trains move smoothly, and the noise level in the carriages has decreased by 35 percent.
The number of seats in the new trains has increased by 1.5 times. At the same time, thanks to modern seats, passengers have much more personal space than in the old trains. The flagship model of the CTU is rightfully the “Ivolga.”
The renewal of the rolling stock has played a huge role in the growth of popularity of the Moscow Central Diameters and suburban routes, as well as Moscow Central Circle, which carry up to 3.1 million passengers daily. The share of intra-city trips on the MCD routes has increased nearly 30 times since 2010 and reaches 500 thousand trips per day.
Moreover, the renewal of the rolling stock of the Central Transport Administration plays a key role in the modernization of domestic transport engineering. In recent years, it is precisely Government of Moscow that accounts for 75 percent of the industry’s orders (new metro cars and suburban trains). More than a thousand enterprises and 120,000 workers across the country are involved in the production of suburban trains.
From 2027 to 2030, about 100 trains will be purchased: 55 for the Yaroslavl direction, 45 for CTU. From 2031 to 2035, 73 train sets will be purchased: 43 for the Paveletskaya direction and 30 for CTU.
In the future, trains traveling from the regions to Moscow and back will implement a clock-face schedule — every 30–60 minutes. Comfortable trains will run every half hour to an hour throughout the day. Currently, trains run to Moscow once every three hours. Thus, waiting time for a train will be reduced by more than three times, making it much easier to plan trips.
Thanks to the project implementation, the carrying capacity will increase by 2.5 times — from 204 to 500 thousand passenger seats per day.
As part of the first phase, the project will be implemented by 2030 in five Russian regions: Yaroslavl, Kaluga, Tula, Vladimir, and Smolensk oblasts. As part of the second phase, by 2035 — in the Tver, Kostroma, Ivanovo, and Ryazan oblasts.
Subscribe to Sergey Sobyanin’s official channels on messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.