On October 1, 2026, Russian and Belarusian transport ministers signed a memorandum of understanding in Minsk to create a framework for planning, designing, and operating a high-speed railway connecting Moskva and Minsk. The signatories were Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin and Belarusian Transport and Communications Minister Aleksei Lyakhnovich.
The proposed railway would run approximately 715 kilometers between the two capitals, following a route through Smolensk. The line is engineered to support speeds up to 400 kilometers per hour.
Current rail journeys between Moskva and Minsk take between seven and nine hours. The new high-speed rail line aims to cut travel
time to about three hours. Initial Russian media reports estimate 21 high-speed trainsets would be needed, with annual passenger traffic projected up to 5.8 million.
Russian Railways has been authorized to start preliminary technical and economic studies under the memorandum. Both Russian and Belarusian rail companies will collaborate to develop project and technical arrangements before any construction decisions. Financial and economic modelling is planned for 2028-2029, with construction expected to commence only after the Moskva to St Petersburg high-speed railway—currently Russia’s priority—is complete.
Recent expansions in cross-border regional rail services between Russia and Belarus complement this high-speed rail initiative. These
include new or enhanced routes connecting Smolensk with Orsha and Vitebsk, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen rail connectivity between the two countries.
