Railway troops are special formations whose main purpose is the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and technical protection of the railway for transportation. The railways help maintain the state’s defense capabilities.
History of the military railway
The date of creation of the railway is considered August 6, 1851. By order of Nicholas I, these units were formed as part of the engineering troops. They included:
- 14 military workers;
- telegraph company;
- 2 conductor companies.
The total number of military personnel was 4340 people. In 1908, the ZhDV withdrew from the engineering forces and became an independent unit reporting to the General Staff.
Under Nicholas I during the Russo-Turkish War, they supplied the Russian army with food and ammunition in the Bender-Galatz section they built. During World War I, workers laid more than 300 km of wide-gauge roads, 400 km of narrow-gauge roads, conducted more than 5000 km of telegraph railway lines and restored more than 4600 structures of the upper track. And the year 1940 showed that it is possible in winter to build 132 km of the railway (Petrozavodsk - Suoyarvi) in 46 days.
Troops during the Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, the railway troops of the USSR showed an example of courage and courage. Before the war, they were ready for work, having almost all the necessary equipment and qualified specialists. At the beginning of hostilities, the enemy was able to partially interrupt the work of the railway, but the officers of the railway did not stop putting the railway track in order. The average interruption in transportation was 6 hours. During this time, the soldiers restored the canvas, and the trains continued to move on.
In 1941, steam locomotive columns were commissioned. 15-30 steam locomotives with repair crews were attached to each depot. The personnel was housed in four-axle carriages-heaters and had a supply of food for 15 days. This made it possible to quickly reach the place of destruction of the tracks and quickly restore them.
Particular attention was paid to the air defense of such brigades and trains. Over the entire period of the war, the personnel of the railway troops restored more than 81 thousand km of main railways, minor - 6 thousand km, turnouts - 29 thousand km, and turnouts - almost 78 thousand. In the post-war period, they restored 2632 bridges and 57 stations throughout the USSR, including the Sochi railway station - an architectural monument.
Modern history of railway troops
On April 18, 1992, the railways were assigned to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. So there were railway troops of the Russian Federation and the Main Directorate of Railway Troops under the Ministry of Architecture, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation.
On September 30, 1992, changes took place again - the main directorate of the named troops was renamed the Federal Directorate of Railway Troops under the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation. But on August 7, 1995, a reorganization took place again, and the Federal Office became the Federal Service for Railway Troops of the Russian Federation.
Since March 9, 2004, new changes have appeared in the structure of the railway troops. The Federal Administration was abolished and the troops transferred to the Ministry of Defense. And from October 5, 2004, the railway troops were returned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation ( RF Armed Forces ) - subordinate to the Rear Services of the RF Armed Forces.
More than once, these compounds took part in the restoration of railways and bridges both in Russia and abroad. They are used in emergency response. At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, after an earthquake in Armenia, an explosion at the Sverdlovsk-Sortirovochny station, and floods, railway troops everywhere came to the rescue. The experience gained during the Great Patriotic War is used to this day.
In 2010, 4 territorial commands were created located in the cities: Smolensk, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk. The number of staff is about 25 thousand people. Since 2010, the head of the Main Directorate of Railway Troops is O. I. Kosenkov. In modern conditions, employees on the railway have high-performance machines and equipment, railway and bridge cranes, drilling and blasting and piling equipment, collapsible supports and spans, tracklayers, etc.
Training for military service
To prepare young people for service in these formations, there is the Institute of Railway Troops. Officers with the rank of lieutenant are released at the Military Transport University of the Railway Forces and the VOSO in St. Petersburg. For training, it is necessary at the moment to serve under the contract or serve in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam and be dismissed.
The training of junior military specialists involved in various training centers. The command of the railway troops pays special attention to the quality training of both the officer corps and the junior level. After training, graduates are interested in improving professional skills after training. Combat training occupies an important place in strengthening military discipline. The military-technical base is regularly updated, parts of the railway troops are highly mobile and are ready to go to a given object at any time.
Inspections are regularly conducted to confirm the high degree of readiness for the defense of the homeland of graduates and military personnel with experience. More than 70 specialties are represented in the Russian railway troops by both military professionals and civilian specialists. Half of the military personnel were awarded government and departmental awards.
Professional holiday
As for any other specialists, the employees of the railway troops have their own professional holiday. It is celebrated on August 6, the day this unit was founded by Nicholas I.
On this day, the merits of the military in ensuring the country's security are celebrated. For the second century, these warriors have been helping the state in peacetime and wartime. On the territory of military units, a flag is solemnly brought, veterans are honored, awarded with memorials and insignia of honors pupils. Cultural events are also being held to introduce the younger generation to a special kind of troops that teenagers may not know about. Demonstrations, professional skills contests, presentations, quizzes are organized.
Service in the railway forces
In the military railway troops, you can go through conscription service. The main functionality is the construction and maintenance of rail transportation. Citizens who studied in similar specialties at educational institutions of railway transport are taken here. It will be easier for them to understand the specifics of the service.
Reviews of the railway troops may be contradictory, but they agree on one thing - qualified specialists are needed here. But there are no special requirements for health and physical fitness. The troops of the railway are not an elite unit, for the most part it is construction work in various climatic conditions.