Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the $6.6 billion Big Circle Line in Moscow—"the largest underground ring in the world.” At 33 stations, it is 70 km long and is expected to transport 3.3 million passengers daily. The subway has been one of the biggest infrastructure projects in decades, reported Intellinews on March 1. When was the last time the U.S. built a new rail and subway system?
Russia continues to expand its sights to the country’s east and its neighbors in that region. During his Feb. 21 Address to the Federal Assembly, President Putin underscored the country’s infrastructure objectives, specifically highlighting plans to improve rail and road connections with foreign countries. “A decision has already been made to extend the Moscow-Kazan expressway to Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen, and eventually to Irkutsk and Vladivostok with branches to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. This will, in part, allows us to considerably expand our ties with Southeast Asian markets,” President Putin told the nation. (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/70565 )
