Russian Railways has launched biometric boarding trials for Sapsan high-speed trains. The initial testing phase involves a focus group consisting of company employees, representatives from the Center for Biometric Technologies, the Ministry of Digital Development, and media members.
The primary goal of the pilot is to evaluate identification speed on the Moscow-Saint Petersburg route, where train occupancy regularly exceeds 90 percent. A full-scale rollout of the biometric system for all passengers is currently scheduled for 2027.
The company previously tested similar technology on five Lastochka train routes. During a six-month trial period, the boarding time per passenger dropped from 30 seconds to 15 seconds, with over 1,000 people using the service.
To utilize biometric boarding, passengers must verify their accounts on the Gosuslugi portal and register their data in the Unified Biometric System. The service is restricted to Russian citizens aged 18 and older who hold a valid passport.
