The Barnaul tram was first launched on a permanent route in early November 1948. Now in the city of Barnaul 11 tram routes have been laid, the total length of the rails for movement is 123 km. Three tram depots were built to service the equipment, two of which are still operating today. About 250 thousand passengers use this type of ecological transport daily.
Tramway Construction Plan
For the first time, the idea of creating tram routes in the city arose in the government in the early 19th century. Then the American consuls turned to the Russian authorities with a request to allow the construction of a new type of transport for Russia. After some time, the country's ruling elite was eager to build a convenient and reliable city rail transport, but the First World War did not allow these plans to be implemented. Depleted from bloody clashes, the country could not afford such a grand construction.
After the end of World War II, Stalin returned to the question of building tram lines . The leader signed a decree where he instructed the responsible persons to create the first trauma route in Russia for the transportation of citizens, this happened in 1946. From this moment the history of the famous Barnaul trams begins.
The first public transport car hit the rails 2.5 years after the decree of Joseph Vissarionovich. From this date the famous history of the Barnaul tram begins. At first, the only route worked at number 1, its official opening date was November 1948. The initial stop of this public transport is Freedom Square, and the final stop is in the area where the Yubileiny market is now located.
Construction of the first depot
One year after the opening date of the Barnaul tram lines, thanks to the efforts of workers and authorities, the first depot was built on Anatolia Street. Now the trams were repaired and underwent technical inspection in specialized car repair workshops. The Barnaul tram route number 2 ran from the building of the first depot, its terminal station was on Freedom Square.
In 1950, a new route number 3 was created in the city. The passenger transport route ran from the old meat processing plant to the Barnaultransmash plant.
In 1960, the Barnaul trams traveled from the Nagorny part of the city to the streets of North-West, Anton-Petrov. The terminal station is Telephone. A few years later, a new type of public transport traveled to the Potok microdistrict and ZSV. In the 50-60s of the last century, the main trains were the KTM / KTP brands of the first and second generation, and the first cars were of the X type.
In the early 70s, Tatra T3 brand trains were massively launched in the city, and in the middle of 1985 they were replaced by trams of the same brand of the new generation - Tatra T6V5.
During the Soviet era, the cities of Barnaul and Novokuznetsk were the only settlements east of the Ural Mountains, where Czech-made wagons traveled.
In the 90s of the last century, tram cars of the brand 71-608KM produced by the Ust-Katavsky Car Building Plant appeared on the streets of Barnaul. They did not work on the route for long, because subsequently they decided to redirect them to the city of Biysk.
Projects to improve tram lines
In the 1970s, the government expected significant population growth in the city of Barnaul. There was confidence that the urban population would exceed the figure of one million people in the coming years. In this regard, the mayor ordered the creation of new lines for the movement of the Barnaul trams. The project would expand and increase the number of passengers carried in the city several times a day. It was assumed that the new route will run through the Vlasikhinsky district (now Novosilikatny), as well as through the North-Western part of the city, capturing the nearby sleeping areas.
An advanced light rail was put on the rails, which will run along the following route:
- Vlasikhinsky industrial site.
- Depot number 3.
- Street Malakhova.
- Cosmonaut Avenue.
- Prospect Kalinin.
- Street Polevaya (modern name - Kulagina street).
Updated trams on the streets of Barnaul
Overpasses near the Khimvolokno plant, as well as at the intersection of Malakhov Street with the Pavlovsky Trakt, were built to move around the city of high-speed trams. As an experiment, the Barnaul tram of a new type, elongated due to the increased number of wagons, ran along the new route. Instead of two, the equipment was equipped with three cars at once.
The high-speed section of tram lines numbered 2 (the Pivzavod terminus) and the tram line running along the Zmeinogorsk highway to the upland part of the city almost did not intersect with public roads. Also, the number of traffic lights was reduced along the trams .
In 2007, a decline in the population was recorded in Barnaul, with 650 thousand people living in the city at that time. Industry in the city fell into decay. In connection with these events, the plan to update and expand public transport lines had to be postponed.
New Tram Extension Plan
According to the new idea of the city authorities, by 2025 it is planned to build several classic tram lines, as well as erect structures for high-speed tram services. A new line of a modern light rail will cross the city center from Isakov Street to North-West, then the route will be laid through the station business district. The route will have a section lying underground. Engineers designed such a path so that modern high-speed transport was able to avoid traffic jams on Severnaya Vokzalnaya Square and Krasnoarmeysky Prospekt as much as possible.
The route from Partizanskaya Street to Krasnaya Tekstilshchik will be equipped with five underground stations:
- Chernyshevsky Avenue;
- Agrarian University;
- Youth Street;
- Square of victory;
- Station Square.
The construction of such a large-scale project is planned for 2018.
Existing tram routes
In total, in Barnaul there are only 11 tram routes:
- Tram number 1 begins its journey from Freedom Square, passes through Victory Square, makes a stop at the "Stream" point. The terminal station is the village of Dokuchaevo.
- Tram number 2 runs from the point "Stream", then passes along Popova street to the stop "Beer factory".
- Public transport at number 3 begins its work from depot No. 1, then moves through the streets Chelyuskintsev and North-West, then it reaches the final destination - the village of Vostochny.
- Rail transport at number 4 begins its journey from the village of Vostochny, makes a stop at the point "Cordon", then at depot No. 1, and moves to the village of Vostochny.
- Tram number 5 travels from Freedom Square to Malakhov Street. The final destination is a meat factory.
- Route number 7 runs from depot No. 1, then the tram makes a base at Cordon, passes to the village of Vostonochy. Its final station is depot No. 1.
- The eighth route starts from the village of Dokuchaevo, then the tram moves to Malakhova Street, then to the point "Stream". The next stop is Severo-Zapadnaya street, then the village of Dokuchaevo.
- The ninth route starts from the village of Dokuchaevo, then the transport moves to the North-West Street, then the stop point “Potok” follows. The next destination is Malakhova Street and the village of Dokuchaevo.
- Tram number 10 begins its work from the village of Dokuchaevo, then stops on the streets of Popov and Malakhov, then the stop point “Potok” follows. Then transport will go to the streets of North-West, Malakhov and Popov. The final stop is the village of Dokuchaevo.
- Route 11 runs from depot No. 3, the next stops are Popova and Severo-Zapadnaya streets. The final station is Freedom Square.
Types of rolling stock
The equipment assembled by the Czech Tatra plant is the main type of passenger rail transport in the city of Barnaul. In total, there are 263 cars for passenger transportation in the depot. Of these, 175 cars go on routes daily and transport a huge number of people.
In November 2009, the unique Pioneer LAN-2005 tram with a one-way articulated two-section car was delivered from St. Petersburg to Barnaul. The equipment is equipped with an asynchronous electric motor.
In mid-September 2010, parts for the assembly of Tatra-T4D wagons were delivered to the city from abroad.
Tram depot in Barnaul
There are 3 tram depots in Barnaul. Several hundred electric-powered cars are sent from their hangars daily. Depot No. 1 serves routes No. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 12. In total, it has 114 units of rolling stock, in addition, there are 13 trains in the hangars to carry out repair work.
Depot No. 2 is not working now, and efficient cars have been transferred to other operating depots. The remaining workers are repairing two Tatra T4D trams.
Passenger transport departs from depot No. 3 on routes 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, and 11. In total, there are 143 transport for passengers and 13 special repair cars. The main brand of trams is the Tatra T3SU. Also, the Tatra T6V5 trams are based in the hangars of this depot. At the end of 2009, a new Russian LAN-2005 tram was launched along the route.
Disadvantages and problems of tram services
Despite the fact that Barnaul has the widest and most developed system for tram traffic in the Urals, many routes do not pass through remote densely populated areas of the city. In addition, old technology cannot move fast at the pace of a modern densely populated city. The last major update was 4 years ago in 2013. Then 2 modern Minsk trams of the BKM 62103 brand were purchased. They are adapted for transporting people with disabilities.
Despite the investments of the authorities, the basis of railway transport is morally obsolete trams that have been operating on the line for 30 years. Many of them have already passed 2 periods of operation. Such a technique should not go on a flight, because it poses a threat to the health and life of citizens.
The government identified several sore problems of the city, which must be solved before 2025. There are two main problems - the wear of electric vehicles by 90 percent, and the transport collapse periodically formed in Barnaul. However, while things are not moving forward, in 2011, only 40 thousand rubles were allocated from the budget for the renewal of electric transport!
Many politicians suggest increasing the public transport fleet at the expense of trolley buses and small buses, but they will stand idle in traffic jams, unlike rail transport.
According to the general plan, it is planned to build more than 10 km of new railway tracks, including underground. Recently, however, the former chief engineer of the project, Veniamin Nikitin, said that such a project is simply horrible. Among other things, he proposed to clear several streets of tram tracks.
The fate of the tram in Barnaul is at a crossroads. Will trams continue to transport passengers around the city without traffic jams, or will they completely forget about this type of transport in a city of thousands and liquidate it for lack of funding? Let's hope that the fate of mammoths does not suffer the multi-ton technique, and it will deliver passengers without delay and with relative comfort for a long time to come.