Passenger traffic bypassing Ukraine started on Wednesday, November 15. This is reported by RIA Novosti referring to the branch of RZD - South-East Railway. The trains were launched along a new section of paved roads - the so-called railway crossing of Zhuravka-Millerovo. The need for it arose after the deterioration of relations with Nezalezhnaya in 2014. The nagging of the Ukrainian border guards, the ever-changing rules of travel, the threat of introducing visas for Russians, including those following the transit to the territory of their own country, all this indicated that Russia needs its own road. Its construction began in 2015. A new double-track electrified line with a length of 137 km passes through the territory of the Voronezh and Rostov regions. At first, it will be followed by express trains, which previously had no intermediate stops.

These are the trains from Moscow to Kislovodsk, Anapa, Novorossiysk, Adler and back, as well as the two-story train St. Petersburg-Adler. Then all Russian trains heading south will switch to the new line. It is planned that the loading of the site in the summer will be up to 190 trains per day, most of them - just passenger long-distance trains. The design maximum speed that trains can develop is 140 km / h.

Recall that freight trains already follow from Russia bypassing Ukraine since September 2017.