The ''Lastochka'' (russian: Ласточка, lit=

Swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n commuter intercity electric multiple unit train used across multiple Russian cities, based on the

Siemens Desiro The Siemens Desiro (, , ) is a family of diesel or electric multiple unit passenger trains developed by Siemens Mobility, a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The main variants are the Desiro Classic, Desiro ML, Desiro UK and the la ...

design and manufactured by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

and

Ural Locomotives Ural Locomotives (russian: Уральские локомотивы) is a railway engineering company formed as a joint venture between Sinara Transport Machines and Siemens in 2010. The manufacturing facilities are based at the Ural Railway Engi ...

History

In 2009,

Russian Railways Russian Railways (russian: link=no, ОАО «Российские железные дороги» (ОАО «РЖД»), OAO Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (OAO RZhD)) is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both manag ...

commissioned

to develop a suburban dual-system electric train adapted to Russian conditions. The new trains were planned to be used in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

for suburban passenger traffic during the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

and then to be partially transferred to other train lines with non-stop service routes. Previously, Siemens had already produced dual-system ''

Sapsan The ''Sapsan'' (russian: Сапсан, lit=Peregrine Falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird o ...

'' trains (Velaro RUS) for Russian Railways. The design of the new electric train was based on the five-car Siemens Desiro ML electric train. On 29 December 2009, Russian Railways signed a contract with the German company Siemens for the production of 54 Siemens Desiro RUS electric trains worth €410 million. The trains received the ES1 (russian: ЭС1 (Электропоезд Сименс мод.1), lit=EMU Siemens 1 model) series designation and were branded as ''Lastochka''. All 54 trains were manufactured in Germany. In March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Siemens put all new business and international deliveries in Russia and Belarus on hold. In June 2022 Siemens Chief Executive Officer Roland Busch condemned the war in Ukraine and announced that the company had decided to wind down its industrial business activities in Russia. In line with the requirement of Russian Railways for "technology transfer", most components for Lastochka can now be locally sourced, with over 80% of the latest trains being Russian made.

Train design

Dual-system trains with automatic system transfer were the ideal solution for amalgamating pre-existing railway lines in the region of the Olympic Games. There, the main railway network operating in flat terrain along the coast of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

had been

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

with direct current at 3 kV, while the lines built in the mountainous section of Adler –

Krasnaya Polyana Krasnaya Polyana (russian: Кра́сная Поля́на) meaning "Red Meadow" is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia: Modern localities Amur Oblast As of 2012, one rural locality in Amur Oblast bears this name: * Krasnaya Polya ...

had been electrified with AC voltage at 25 kV, 50 Hz, appropriate for the steep gradients, and hence much higher power demands. Dual-system electric trains allow commuter rail routes covering sections of both DC and AC track with no need to stop at places where the electric power changes. With the technology, the trains are able to run directly from Adler to

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

without stopping at the Goryachiy Klyuch changeover station. All technical solutions adopted by Siemens in the design of the new Desiro ML RUS electric trains were discussed with experts from specialized research institutes and were approved by Russian Railways. Siemens consulted many Russian experts in high-speed railways—especially those involved in the

Velaro RUS The ''Sapsan'' (russian: Сапсан, lit= Peregrine Falcon, known as Velaro RUS EVS) is a Russian gauge high speed electric express train. The train is a Siemens Velaro model, which in turn is based on the ICE 3M/F high-speed trains manufa ...

high-speed trains construction—for the design decisions concerning the Desiro ML train design and construction. In particular, the base platform of the Desiro ML train had to be adapted to the

Russian gauge Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

of 1,520 mm and the demands of the harsh Russian winter. The topographical conditions in the region of the Olympic Games present higher requirements for automated systems and traction equipment. The design and construction efforts were focused particularly on the head car of the train. In March 2011, LLC

—a joint venture of Siemens AG and

Sinara Group Sinara Group is a Russian investment company founded in 2001 with holdings in the property development, rail transportation and financial services sectors. History The company was founded in 2001, and in 2004 acquired industrial and agricultural c ...

—and LLC

Aeroexpress Aeroexpress Ltd. (russian: ООО "Аэроэкспресс") is the operator of airport rail link services in Russia. It is founded in 2005 and is owned by Russian Railways (50%), TransGroup AS (25%), Iskander Makhmudov (17.5%), and Andrei Bok ...

formed a joint venture to manufacture electric trains in Russia at the

plant in

Verkhnyaya Pyshma Verkhnyaya Pyshma (russian: Ве́рхняя Пышма́) is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located north of Yekaterinburg. Population: History It was founded in 1660 as the village ('' selo'') of Pyshminskoye, which was named after ...

(

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, formerly known as S ...

). Production started in late 2013 with the aim of producing around 200 train carriages per year for Russian Railways. By 2017, 80 percent of the production of these trains is expected to be localized in Russia. On 7 September 2011, Russian Railways placed an order for up to 1,200 Desiro RUS train carriages. The contract was signed by the President of Russian Railways

Vladimir Yakunin Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin (russian: Владимир Иванович Якунин; born 30 June 1948) is a Russian businessman and close Vladimir Putin confidant. He was president of Russian Railways from June 2005 to August 2015. In March 2 ...

, Siemens CEO and Chairman of the Management Board

Peter Löscher Peter Löscher (born 17 September 1957 in Villach, Austria) is an Austrian manager who was the CEO of Siemens from 2007 until 2013. As of 2017, Löscher remains as the only CEO to be hired from outside the conglomerate in the 170-year history o ...

, and President of Sinara Group

Dmitry Pumpyansky Dmitry A. Pumpyansky (born 22 March 1964) is a Russian billionaire businessman. He was the owner and chairman of OAO TMK, a Russian global manufacturer of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry. As of August 2022, his net worth was estimated a ...

at the international railway business forum Expo 1520 in

Shcherbinka Shcherbinka (russian: Ще́рбинка) is a town, formerly in Moscow Oblast, Russia, and since July 1, 2012 a federal city subject (settlement) of Moscow, Russia. It is located south of the center of Moscow. Population: History It was f ...

. Russian Railways also has a maintenance contract with Siemens for 54 trains, ordered in 2009 and 2010. The contract with a value exceeding 500 € million was signed by Vladimir Yakunin and Peter Löscher and came into force in 2013 for a period of 40 years. On 11 November 2013, Ural Locomotives started manufacturing a new model developed for 3 kV-only routes with the interior designed for city lines. It was designated as ES2G (russian: ЭС2Г (Электропоезд Сименс мод.2 городской), lit=EMU Siemens second model cityline). In 2014, manufacturing ES1 on Siemens factory was finished. On the third quarter of 2016 ES2G started their work on MCC, earlier and now they are working as suburban trains on Moscow–Tver line (Moscow–Zelenograd and Moscow–Tver) and on Yekaterinburg suburban lines. In August 2017, 72 trains were produced. In March 2016,

transferred to RZD a new train designated as ES2GP (russian: ЭС2ГП (Электропоезд Сименс мод.2 городской повышенной комфортности), lit=EMU Siemens second model cityline increased comfort), which is technically similar to ES2G, but designed for intercity lines and has not only standard 3rd-class seats like ES2G, but also 1st- and 2nd-class seats. In March 2017 train have only trial runs.

Lines

Operating

Northwestern Russia

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

–

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

–

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

– Valday *

–

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased ov ...

–

Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk (russian: Петрозаводск, p=pʲɪtrəzɐˈvotsk; Karelian, Vepsian and fi, Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population ...

–

Sortavala Sortavala (russian: Сортавала; Finnish and krl, Sortavala; sv, Sordavala); till 1918 Serdobol (russian: Сердоболь) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga near the Finnish bord ...

–

Ruskeala Ruskeala (russian: Рускеала; ) is a rural locality (a settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of republic significance of Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Within the framework of municipal divisions ...

–

Volkhov Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is an industrial town and the administrative center of Volkhovsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the river Volkhov east of St. Petersburg. Population: It was previously known as ''Zvanka ...

–

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...

–

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

– Kalishe *

– Oranienbaum *

– Luga *

–

Pechory Pechory (russian: Печо́ры; Estonian and Seto: ') is a town and the administrative centre of Pechorsky District in the Pskov Oblast, Russia. Its population in the 2010 Census was 11,195, having fallen from 13,056 recorded in ...

–

Tikhvin Tikhvin (russian: Ти́хвин; Veps: ) is a town and the administrative center of Tikhvinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on both banks of the Tikhvinka River in the east of the oblast, east of St. Petersburg. Tikhvin i ...

–

Kuznechnoye Kuznechnoye (russian: Кузне́чное; fi, Kaarlahti) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in the northern part of Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, located on the Karelian Isthmus. Population: History The village of Kaar ...

– Sosnovo *

–

Tosno Tosno (russian: То́сно) is a town and the administrative center of Tosnensky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Tosna River, southeast of the center of St. Petersburg. Population: History The village of Tosno was fi ...

–

Moscow

Moscow Central Circle The Moscow Central Circle or MCC (russian: Московское центральное кольцо, МЦК), designated Line 14 and marked in a strawberry red/white color is a orbital urban/metropolitan rail line that encircles historical M ...

–

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

–

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

–

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...

–

Konakovo Konakovo ( rus, Конако́во, p=kənɐˈkovə) is a town and the administrative center of Konakovsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of Ivankovo Reservoir (Volga River). Population: History Konakovo was founde ...

–

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

–

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

–

Zelenograd Zelenograd ( rus, Зеленогра́д, p=zʲɪlʲɪnɐˈgrat, lit. ''green city'') is a city and administrative okrug of Moscow, Russia. The city of Zelenograd and the territory under its jurisdiction form the Zelenogradsky Administrative O ...

–

Ivanovo Ivanovo ( rus, Иваново, p=ɪˈvanəvə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia. It is the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vlad ...

–

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Popu ...

South Russia

– Adler *

–

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

–

Maikop Maykop (russian: Майкоп, p=mɐjˈkop mɐj'kop); ady, Мыекъуапэ, Mıéquapə ) is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea in Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River (a tributary of the Kuban River). It borders Ma ...

– Adler *

–

Sochi International Airport Sochi International Airport (russian: Международный Аэропорт Сочи; ) is an airport located in Adler District of the resort city of Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea in the federal subject of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. So ...

– Roza Khutor *

–

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

Tuapse Tuapse (russian: Туапсе́; ady, Тӏуапсэ ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse i ...

–

* Lazarevskaya –

Dagomys Dagomys ( ady, Дэгъумес); is a microdistrict of Sochi, Russia (12 km from the city centre), known for its resorts, vacation spots and tea plantations. It was developed as a resort since before the Russian Revolution, when a botan ...

–

Urals

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

–

Nizhny Tagil Nizhny Tagil ( rus, Нижний Тагил, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj tɐˈgʲil) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located east of the boundary between Asia and Europe. Population: History The prehistor ...

–

Kamensk-Uralsky Kamensk-Uralsky (russian: Ка́менск-Ура́льский) is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kamenka and Iset Rivers ( Ob's basin). Population: 173,000 (1972); 51,000 (1939). History Kamensky Z ...

–

Pervouralsk Pervouralsk (russian: Первоура́льск, lit. ''the first in the Urals'') is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Chusovaya River ( Kama's tributary) west of Yekaterinburg, the administrative center of the oblast. Populati ...

–

Kuzino Kuzino (russian: Кузино) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of oblast significance of Veliky Ustyug, Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Northern Dvina Rive ...

Planned

Mineralnye Vody Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) ( rus, Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), p=mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ; lit. ''mineral waters'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located a ...

–

Barnaul Barnaul ( rus, Барнау́л, p=bərnɐˈul) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As ...

–

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...