On the Creation of a High-Speed Transport Highway in St. Petersburg
Authors: Senkin Nikolai A. , Filimonov Aleksandr S. , Kharitonov Kirill E. , Yakovlev Vitaliy V. , Bondareva Elizaveta O. , Merkulova Marina V. , Medvedev Nikita E. 
Published: February 2020

As part of student research at the St. Petersburg University of architecture and construction, alternative proposals are being developed for the creation of a circumferential high-speed highway with a total length of 147.2 km. Тhe scheme is proposed in the form of a polygon with HUB in the nodes and consists of three main parts: 1 above-ground (62.6 km), 2 above-water (29.6 km) and 3 surface-underground (55.0 km). The main tracks are located in a four-tube steel beam, each tube of which is organized by the technology of vacuum tube transport with a pressure of 10% of the normal for high-speed passenger trains on a magnetic levitation cushion using a linear traction motor (Maglev system). The rail base of the 1520 mm gauge is located along the entire length of the track, both in parking lots, acceleration and braking zones, and on the main high-speed sections for movement with a maximum speed of 500 km per hour.
The main direction of research was the development of load-bearing structures that provide the necessary functionality, reliability and safety of structures. In order to reduce the noise impact on the metropolis, overcome numerous artificial and natural obstacles, improve anti-terrorist protection, the main level of the rail track for the above-ground and above-water structures was adopted at +88.00 in the Baltic elevation system. Calculations of variants with determination of internal forces in elements and movements of nodes with use of the program complex SCAD Office 21.1are executed, when accounting for the full range of loads taking into account dynamic effects and non-linearity. The selection of cross-sections of elements according to the method of limit states according to the current norms is carried out. The advantage of the arch-cable-stayed variant with a span of 360 m in strength, stability, stiffness and vertical size (height of supports) is shown.
The continuation of research and design work on this topic should lead to the emergence of a district high-speed transport system at the borders of communication between St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region with passenger traffic, quite comparable to the metro line.
Aim: To develop a district high-speed transport system at the borders of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region with passenger traffic comparable to the metro line.
Materials and Methods: Using the software package "SCAD Office 21.1", the trestle structures are calculated for the combination of operating loads, forces and influences, including the consideration of dynamic aspects and nonlinearity, as well as the selection of cross-sections of elements by the method of limit states. To determine the optimal trestle structures of high-speed highways, namely high-rise and long-length metal structures supporting the overpass beam, calculations with the selection of cross sections of four variants of cable-stayed systems (arch-cable-stayed; cable-stayed rod with inclined cables and steel lattice pylons; the same, steel pipe-concrete pylons; cable-stayed rod system with suspensions according to the patent US5950543 (A).
Results: the results of the trial design adopted arch-cable option with a span of 360 m according to the criterion of metal consumption, the consumption of steel amounted to 20.9 tons per 1 m length of highway.
Conclusion: the estimated volume of passenger traffic per day for the four-track high-speed line will be 280 thousand passengers, and 102 million passengers per year, which is quite comparable to this figure for the metro line.