Moscow airport strengthens ties with…Moscow
A $US 95 million redevelopment of transport facilities connecting Moscow's Sheremtyevo airport to the city centre will mean travellers need no longer spend so much time in traffic when travelling to the airport.
The final phase in linking Sheremtyevo with central Moscow will see a new rail terminal constructed at the airport with connections to Moscow’s Savelovsky and Belorussky railway stations.
The rail trip will take half an hour and cost about $US 10, slashing travel times for those who currently spend up to two hours to do the same trip by either the existing rail network, or on Moscow’s crowded roads.
The redevelopment of the Belorussky railway station will see a new platform with specialised check-in and ticketing facilities costing $US 7.7 million. The whole Sheremtyevo transport upgrade is worth about $US 95 million to cater for an estimated seven million passengers annually.
“The main aim of the redevelopment of Sheremetyevo airport is to make it more comfortable for passengers as well as for airline companies. This rail terminal will play an important part in the strategy. We are also planning to increase the size of the airport and link the existing second terminal with a new third one,” Mikhail Vasilenko, Sheremetyevo’s Director General, commented.
AeroExpress will run the transit links, while Russian Railways is interested in buying out Sheremtyevo’s 26% stake.
“Aeroexpress has a positive attitude towards the decision to sell the stake to Russian Railways. It’s necessary to create a united rail transport system that will connect all the city’s airports,” says Vladimir Petrov, Director General of Aeroexpress.
All Sheremetyevo terminals will be linked to the network including Sheremetyevo-3, which will boost transit numbers when it opens.
To fund its radical overhaul, Sheremtyevo is investing 30% of its own funds with the other 70% coming from Russian and foreign investors.
The construction of a new road system is part of a plan to redevelop the transport links between the center of Moscow and one of Russia’s largest airports in order to improve business opportunities.
Sheremetyevo – traditionally Moscow’s main international gateway, but renowned for its forbidding exterior, slow service and difficult links to the city – will become a business asset in its own right with new terminals, conference facilities, car parking and transit links.
