MOSCOW Railway commuters between Vladimir and the Russian capital are flocking onto the latest design of EMU to emerge from the Demikhovo rolling stock plant (left). On July 31 MR President Gennadi Fadeev and Railways Minister V I Starostenko launched the city’s third express commuter service using a build of 11 ED4MK EMUs.
Luxuriously appointed with 2+2 seating in first class (below left), the air-conditioned ED4MK is a variant of the ED4M design, intended for services running up to 200 km from the capital. The first trains began running from Moscow’s Kazan station to Tula in May, followed by the Moscow - Ryazan line on July 1. Each train has five first, three second and two third class coaches with accommodation for 650 passengers. There are 16 crew including two drivers, guard, passenger attendants and two barmen.
The Moscow - Ryazan service covers the 200 km run in 2h 35min, which is 1h 30min faster than the rival express bus. For an R8 supplement, first class passengers enjoy free newspapers and at-seat television. Fadeev expects to introduce the remaining eight ED4MK sets before the end of this year.
- Demikhovo works signed a co-operation agreement with AnsaldoBreda of Italy in July for the supply of advanced traction equipment for new builds of suburban EMUs. These are needed to replace much of the Moscow fleet over the next three years.
