Vladimir Putin orders Transsib overhaul schedule

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the reconstruction and modernization of the Trans-Siberian Railway ordered the Russian government to work out the schedule and phases of Trans-Siberian Railway modernization project, the Kremlin press office said.

"Integrated development of Transsib (Trans-Siberian Railway)  is to help the eastern territories of the Russian Federation to achieve their potential, to upgrade their industrial base, to put into circulation new mineral deposits, strengthen the status of Russia as a key element in the continental transport system", Vladimir Putin said.