Private HSR between Novosibirsk and Kuzbass proposed to build without budget funds

The initiator of the project Rinat Bichurin presented the concept of a network of private high-speed passenger railways (HSR) in the Russian regions. In Western Siberia, in addition to the route Novokuznetsk-Kemerovo-Novosibirsk, the connection of Novosibirsk with Tomsk, Omsk, Biysk and Barnaul is considered. According to the author’s calculations, the travel time between cities will be reduced to 15-30 minutes.

The main condition of the project is the refusal of state funding. The construction is planned to be carried out at the expense of private and foreign investments, without attracting funds from the federal and regional budgets and without the participation of Russian Railways. The network must be privately owned and managed by a public joint stock company.

“In the vast majority of regions, budgets are reduced to deficits, so it is impossible to count on federal financial assistance for the construction of HSR networks. The transport problem should be solved at the expense of the private sector, the author of the initiative explains.

The cost of building one kilometer of the Bichurin highway is estimated to be 300 million rubles, which is much cheaper than European analogues, where the price reaches 30 million euros per kilometer. Lower costs are explained by lower land prices, lower density of roads and population, and cheaper building materials.

The availability of trips, according to the authors, will provide low construction costs, large passenger traffic and income from commercial premises at stations. Tariffs are proposed to be set below aircraft, rail and bus — at a level comparable to the city metro. The cars promise spacious salons with soft seats, microclimate, lack of noise and vibration.

According to the project portal, more than 100 people have voted for the initiative since the beginning of 2026. After collecting 100 thousand signatures, the authors intend to apply for a nationwide referendum on the construction of the superhighway. Now the project exists in the format of an open appeal to federal and regional authorities with a request to allow the creation of a network of private HSRs.

It is important to note that this is an initiative of a public activist, not a coordinated state project. Specific terms, investors and routes of the Siberian lines have not yet been determined. The idea of building HSR in the regions has been repeatedly discussed by experts with caution - the cost and payback of such projects remain a subject of discussion.