Russia : Revolt against Sapsan, first high speed train in Russia

from cette semaine
AFP - 16 avr. 2010
SAINT-PETERSBOURG - Stones thrown, gunshot, sabotage of the overhead cables : revolt is brewing along the railway linking Moscow to Saint-Petersbourg against the Sapsan, the first Russian high speed railways, seen by residents as a "train for the rich".
Inaugurated just four months ago, this ultra-modern train linking the two main cities of Russia in 3 hours 45 minutes, as opposed to journies taking from 4 and a half hours to almost eight hours, has already been the traget of at least fourteen acts of vandalism, the RZD, the country's railway company, reports.
In January, an inhabitant of Leontievo, village in the Tver region which the train goes through, threw a block of ice at a wagon, breaking one of its windows. He justified his gesture as vengeance after having been knocked over by the blast from the train which reaches 250 km an hour at times.
In April, two men from the Leningrad region, who had fired at it with a shotgun, were arrested by police.
And this week, an inquest has been opened following the damaging of an overhead cable, leading to a power cut and the interruption of traffic for a number of hours.
Between three and seven people have died in the regions of Novgorod and Tver over the past four months, Alexandre Brevnov reported, responsible for the local transport police, quoted in the local media.
In Ouglovka, bunches of flowers had been placed along the track in memory of two people killed by the Sapsan.
The local people are also furious to see that various other trains including the economical Iounost, have been stopped since the Sapsan was put in circulation, making it difficult for local inhabitants to get around.