Russian Railways, the nation's railway monopoly, says the Kremlin's decision to revamp of the Transsib line be a hard one to implement.

      In his keynote address to the St Petersburg Economic Forum, the president announced a number of major infrastructure projects that will be financed through the National Welfare Fund. The reconstruction of the Transsiberian Route is one of them.

      Russian Railways, however, says the project will not pay back any time soon because it's mainly used by coal producers and tariffs are lower than the costs for the rail operator.

      Funds from the National Welfare Fund can be used only if they are paid back later.