April 17, 2015. Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Evgeniy Kuivashev and UMMC Holding DG Andrei Kozitsyn signed a cooperation agreement on April 16 covering the launch of a high-speed tramway to connect Yekaterinburg and Verkhnyaya Pyshma.

Andrei Kozitsyn explains the project will take off after agreements have been signed with the two cities’ councils, upon which Sverdlovsk Region Government will have adopt a special decree on the launch of the tramway before July 1, 2015.

The prospective route is expected to span from Prospekt Kosmonavtov Underground Station in Yekaterinburg to downtown Verkhnyaya Pyshma. The design and implementation will take about a year and cost about 1bn RUR. The overall cost hasn’t been officially declared yet, but it is already clear that the funding will be co-provided by UMMC Holding, the city councils, and Sverdlovsk Region Government. About twenty low-floor trams will be purchased for the purpose, preferably from a Russian manufacturer.