Russia"s luxurious high-speed passenger...

Levan Todua said a special commission will determine the date of the first trip. Local transport prosecutors earlier said the railway tracks between Moscow and the central Russian city do not meet the safety norms for Sapsan.

Todua said however the faults were insignificant and would be eliminated.

Earlier in April, the Russian Interior Ministry released a report saying Sapsan had killed up to seven people on rail crossings since it began travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg in December 2009.

The train has already become one of the most controversial transportation projects in Russia. Besides the fatalities, it has caused social tension among people angry about the partial disappearance of budget rail tickets.

The price of a roundtrip ticket on the Sapsan is about 6,000 rubles ($200), equal to the monthly salary of many residents of towns between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Sapsan, built for Russia by German engineering giant Siemens, covers

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