Russian Railways are asking for an extra 140 billion roubles for the construction of the new high speed rail connection between Moscow and Kazan.

      The price tag of the project positioned by the Kremlin as a key infrastructure investment has risen to 1.068 trillion roubles, with the state expected to cover 62.7 percent of expenses.

      The new railroad will be of vital importance for the FIFA World Cup that Russia will play host to in 2018.

      Construction was supposed to start next year.

      One kilometer of the route will cost RUR 1.39 billion.