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Moscow, July 30 (Interfax) - Russian Railways (RZD) and German Siemens signed a protocol on Thursday on cooperation in deliveries of electric trains for Sochi, an Interfax correspondent reported from the signing ceremony.

A total of 54 passenger trains will be delivered for service on, among others, the Sochi-Krasnaya Polyana route, which will see heavy traffic during the 2014 Winter Olympics, the head of Siemens in Russia, Dietrich Meller, told Interfax.

He did not disclose the value of the contract, but noted that each train costs over 10 million euro. A total of 38 trains will be delivered to RZD before 2013 and the remainder will be assembled in Russia, that is, production of the electric trains will be localized to Russia.

Meller said RZD would be the big winner in the Siemens contract, which might be finalized in the next three months. RZD head Vladimir Yakunin made the decision to buy German trains during his visit to Munich on July 17, Meller said.

It was reported earlier that RZD planned deliveries of trains for routes in southern Russia in 2011-2013. The technical requirements call for high-speed trains able to operate on AC or DC with service lives of 40 years or 7 million kilometers from the date of delivery. Each train is to have capacity for up to 1,000 passengers and must accommodate passengers with disabilities.

RZD will purchase the trains under the "Strategy for development of rail transportation in Russia to 2030." A total of 24,450 rail cars will be acquired in the 2008-2030 period.