Quantum Rail: Russian Railways Plans to Build 15,000 Kilometers of Quantum Communication Lines
The target is expected to be reached by 2030.
Russia is expanding its quantum communications infrastructure. At present, the technology is widely considered effectively impossible to hack. Quantum networks provide what is described as absolute information security, making them attractive for state-sector organizations, banks, critical infrastructure operators, and many other industries.
From Moscow to Vladivostok
Responsibility for the comprehensive development of quantum communications in Russia has been assigned to Russian Railways (RZD). That mandate was formalized in an agreement signed between the company and the federal government back in 2019. During the CIPR-2026 conference held in Nizhny Novgorod, details emerged about RZD’s plans to connect virtually the entire country through a quantum network by 2030. The information appeared in materials prepared for a presentation by Artur Gleim, head of RZD’s Quantum Communications Department. By 2030, the total length of the network is expected to exceed 15,000 kilometers.
In other words, this is not merely an expansion of RZD’s internal quantum network. The company intends to create a next-generation telecommunications framework spanning the entire country from Moscow to Vladivostok. Russia’s IT sector is now forming an entirely new high-tech industry at the intersection of telecommunications, photonics, cryptography, microelectronics, and cybersecurity.
External Subscribers Are Needed
It is worth recalling that in November last year, RZD management announced plans for large-scale expansion of the quantum communications network. This year, the project is expected to enter the commercialization phase. That includes providing services to external customers and attracting new investors to support implementation.
“Quantum communications make it possible, first, to reduce the impact of human factors. Second, they provide long-term security regardless of technological progress and increase resilience against future threats. Given the rapid development of new technologies in computing, data processing, and artificial intelligence, quantum communications are becoming strategically important. This security technology is absolutely fundamental because its reliability is guaranteed by the very laws of nature. No malicious actor can break the laws of nature, which means quantum-secured communication channels cannot be hacked,” said Artur Gleim.
The total length of Russia’s backbone quantum network reached 7,858 kilometers by the end of 2025. The development of this new type of ultra-secure connectivity is expected to accelerate digitalization across a wide range of industries. RZD, in particular, links the deployment of quantum communications to future railway technologies such as autonomous train operations and virtual train coupling, both of which are considered highly sensitive to information security risks.
A Powerful Foundation
The government’s decision to select RZD as the integrator for quantum communications was far from accidental. The company possesses one of the country’s largest information and technology infrastructures. It has deployed more than 75,000 kilometers of fiber-optic lines, supporting roughly 30,000 networking and data transmission nodes.
As early as June 2021, Russia launched its first quantum communication line. The backbone connection linked Moscow and St. Petersburg. Stretching 700 kilometers, it was the largest such network in Europe at the time.
The Roadmap Is Already in Place
At the end of 2022, RZD announced that, under its agreement with the Russian government, it would continue developing the high-tech “Quantum Communications” initiative. Following instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the holding company worked together with the Ministry of Digital Development, the Ministry of Economic Development, and members of the scientific community to update the Quantum Communications roadmap through 2030.
It is clear that if Russia successfully completes its plans for a nationwide quantum communications network, the country will move to an entirely new technological level. The expertise and technologies developed through the project may prove valuable not only domestically but also as a future export offering.
