On 21 December 2023, Russia's President Vladimir Putin inaugurated traffic down the M-12 "Vostok" expressway linking Moscow and Kazan. Since its commissioning, over 52 million vehicle trips have been recorded along this section.
The expressway makes an invaluable contribution to the social and economic development of the regions within its attraction zone. It helps shaping new logistics routes. Thus, over 150 million tons of commercial freight have been transported along the motorway since its launch.
Besides, M-12 "Vostok" lends to the active development of domestic tourism, as evidenced by the statistics for the regions along the road. Thus, hotel bookings have rocketed in Moscow, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod Oblasts, along with the Republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia, with increases ranging from 30% to 100%.
For the convenience of motorists, roadside services are also being actively developed all along the M-12 "Vostok". Today, 24 multifunctional road service zones (MFZ) operate at the segment from Moscow to Kazan. They provide all the necessary services for drivers and passengers when traveling short and long distances. Moreover, this year the first hotel on this motorway was opened as part of the MFZ at km 421 near Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It rapidly gained popularity, as it is frequently chosen by motorists traveling along the high-speed corridor from St. Petersburg via the M-11 "Neva", the Central Ring Road, and then the M-12 "Vostok" to Yekaterinburg.
Typically, traffic intensity during peak periods is almost three times higher than the annual average. For instance, at segments of the M-12 "Vostok" near Moscow, the average daily traffic intensity is about 40,000 vehicles, while during peak periods this figure rises to roughly 66,000. While almost at each of its transit sections this figure becomes even higher in August and on holidays. Thus, if the average traffic intensity in the area of Arzamas is about 10 thousand cars, in peak periods it reaches approximately 30 thousand.
On the whole, the demand for the M-12 "Vostok" expressway is growing along with its development. Stretches of the M-12 "Vostok" east of Arzamas are seeing a major upswing in traffic — more than 40% higher than last year. This trend is attributable, in part, to the commissioning in July 2025 of the new M-12 highway segment Dyurtyuli – Achit, which established a direct road connection between the Republic of Bashkortostan, Perm Krai, and Sverdlovsk Oblast. Such dynamics shows that long-distance travel is becoming popular among motorists, and transit traffic is becoming more and more intensive.
