TransTeleCom (TTK), a subsidiary of Russian Railways, announced the completion of a quantum communication line between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Deputy General Director Alexei Nozdrin disclosed the completion at the Vedomosti Telecom 2021 conference, stating that equipment had been installed and commissioning was underway.
The network, spanning approximately 700 km, was built using Russian-made equipment along Russian Railways’ existing fiber-optic infrastructure. According to a report from the conference, the construction was provided for by the quantum communications roadmap developed by Russian Railways and approved by the government in 2020. TTK expected demand from financial organizations, law enforcement agencies, and state organizations.
Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President on Digital and Technological Development, later described the 700 km segment as the largest quantum network in Europe at the time. The broader quantum communications roadmap called for total government investment of 9.4 billion rubles ($144.9 million) in Russian Railways from 2021 to 2024 to expand the network toward a 7,000 km target.