Russian state highway construction company, said that China Railway Construction Corporation had shown interest in the new Russian project "Meridian Line" and might build 50% of the route. "We are in discussions with China Railway Construction Corporation, which is building the fifth section of the Moscow-Kazan Highway -12,"
he said in response to a question about whether Chinese companies would participate in the Meridian project. The two sides held several meetings in anticipation of a positive outcome. Generally speaking, we can't complete 100% of the road construction only with state funds, which will attract funds unconditionally. So we have to figure out all the models to achieve this, such as public-private partnerships, concessions, or bond loans to state-owned enterprises.
Petushenko stressed that the current negotiations are under way and the possibility of building the route by 50% of each side is being considered.
Initially, Meridian was expected to be the first private road in Russia; the Russian holding company was the initiator of the project as early as 2013. According to the plan, the highway will be used for transit transportation. Last year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnulin said he did not rule out the possibility of state financing for the project. At the same time, he later said that more than 50% of the funds for highway construction should come from extra-budgetary sources.
According to Petushenko, president of Avtodor, the company will re-study the "Meridian" highway route in the context of domestic logistics changes, and the preliminary draft will be ready by autumn. Vyacheslav Petushenko, chairman of Avtodor, a
Russian state-owned road construction company, told RBC television that the Russian "Meridian" highway, originally intended to connect Asia and Europe, would be diverted southward in the European part of Russia, connecting China, Kazakhstan and Caspian Sea countries, including Iran.
According to the previous design, Russia's first private investment highway "Meridian Line" should have crossed eight federal entities, connecting Kazakhstan, China, Belarus and EU countries.
Petushenko pointed out that under the conditions of sanctions, the flow of passengers and goods in the direction of Europe has decreased sharply, while the volume of goods transported southward through the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea has increased. He said that the "Meridian Line" highway will still open up the road transport corridor to and from China via Kazakhstan, but will not extend to Europe, but will be diverted in the European part of Russia, running through the north-south region and connecting the Caspian Sea countries, including Iran.
The Russian government approved plans in 2019 to build a toll highway, which will greatly reduce the time for freight between Europe and China.
The Moscow Times has reported that Russia is pursuing an ambitious infrastructure plan, including the development of a strategic China-Western Europe transport corridor. Russia said it had begun construction of the first section of the corridor in 2019: a toll road called the Meridian Expressway connecting China's western neighbors Kazakhstan and Belarus. Dmitry Medvedev, then Prime Minister of Russia, approved the construction of the Meridian Toll Highway.
According to reports, Medvedev asked cabinet officials to consult with the sponsors on attracting investment in the project, including investment from China, and to give necessary support. Alexander Ryazanov,
the project's sponsor and former deputy chairman of Gazprom, estimated the initial cost of the project at 594 billion roubles ( $9.3 billion) and a break-even time of 12 to 14 years. He said his company already owns about 80% of the land the road will cross. The Meridian Expressway will span 2,000 kilometers from the Russian-Kazakh border to the junction of the existing highway connecting Minsk, Belarus, with Moscow, the
report said. It would shorten trucking routes between freight hubs in western China and Central Europe, and potentially provide a faster, if more expensive, alternative to the three existing rail corridors. Sergei Sanakoyev of the Russia-China
Analysis Center said the highway is economically sound and could create more jobs and new sources of transportation revenue for Russia.
According to reports, a federal official said that the Meridian Expressway is one of the construction projects proposed by Russia for China's "the Belt and Road" initiative.
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