Developing sustainable development strategies for transport infrastructure using the example of constructing high-speed rail lines in the European part of Russia

Abstract

The article analyses the sustainability of the Moscow – St Petersburg high-speed rail megaproject in economic, social and environmental dimensions, proceeding from the strategic transformation of the Russian Federation’s transport system and the need to move from narrow financial payback to accounting for public benefits and externalities; the aim is to develop and test a comprehensive method for assessing sustainable infrastructure development and to apply it to HSR as a flagship project for the country’s spatial connectivity. The methodology combines a comparative door-to-door analysis of transport alternatives (HSR, Sapsan, air, road), an assessment of socio-economic impact (direct, indirect and multiplier effects on GRP and employment), and a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the carbon footprint covering construction, rolling-stock production and operations; the approach is complemented by a risk matrix with mitigation strategies (PPP, fare policy, technology localisation, ecological corridors). The results show that, with a length of 680-700 km and investment exceeding RUB 2.3 trillion, HSR delivers a minimum integrated travel time of 3.35 hours and high carrying capacity at a forecast ticket price of about RUB 9,850; the overall carbon footprint is estimated at 18.75 g CO2-eq per passenger-kilometre versus 164.30 for air and 151.60 for road, forming a «carbon payback period» through demand shifting. Socio-economic effects include an increase in the aggregate GRP of the affected regions by RUB 4.97 trillion over a decade, the creation of around 45.65 thousand jobs at the construction peak, a rise in passenger volumes to 22.65 million per year, and the release of 12.5 million tonnes of freight capacity on the existing network. The discussion underscores that the key to sustainability lies in institutional design and proactive risk management (cost control, targeted fare affordability, environmental mitigation), rather than engineering optimisation alone; the conclusions justify instituting a mandatory comprehensive sustainability assessment and a dynamic risk-management model as standards for future HSR projects.