It has become known when Russian Railways will launch passenger trains bypassing Ukraine. The railway bypassing Ukraine has been built

MOSCOW, December 11 – RIA Novosti. Starting today, Russian Railways is launching all long-distance passenger trains on a railway that bypasses the territory of Ukraine.

The decision to build a double-track electrified line on the Zhuravka - Millerovo section was made after the deterioration of relations with Kiev in 2014. In August 2017, the work came to an end, and in September freight trains were launched on the new railway.

All trains

Passenger trains traveling along the old line without stops were switched to a railway bypass in mid-November. The remaining trains were planned to be launched before the end of this year. We are talking about 62 pairs of passenger and 30 pairs of freight trains.

According to Russian Railways Director for Passenger Transportation Dmitry Pegov, this process should take no more than a day - from December 10 to 11.

After this, passenger trains will stop running on the Ukrainian section and will run by rail on Russian territory.

To the south along a new detour

The length of the new line reaches 137 kilometers, it passes through the Voronezh and Rostov regions. This route will ensure transport safety of freight and passenger traffic. The road capacity has also increased.

The Zhuravka - Millerovo line has become part of the high-speed railway that connects Central Russia with the Black Sea coast. Passenger trains will be able to travel along the new road at speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, and freight trains - up to 90 kilometers per hour. In the summer, up to 190 trains per day will travel on this route, most of them long-distance passenger trains.

General Director of the Institute for Problems of Natural Monopolies (IPEM) Yuri Sahakyan told RIA Novosti that the launch of the new line has many advantages. Firstly, the risk that trains will have to stop en route is significantly reduced, and any stop may result in the train being late. Secondly, it is more convenient for passengers to travel without crossing borders, especially when it comes to a state with which relations remain tense.

The expert noted that modern technologies are always used during the construction of new lines, which means that, even if only on a small area, the comfort of the trip will certainly increase.

They reported the completion of construction and installation work on the main section of the Ukrainian railway bypass. This is stated in a message published on the company's website.

Russian Railways has completed construction and installation work on the new Zhuravka - Millerovo railway line and has begun commissioning and test operation of individual sections of the line. Final commissioning and the opening of passenger train traffic on the line are planned for the end of autumn 2017,” Russian Railways clarified.

The Russian Railways statement also states that a test run of a locomotive and several freight cars has already been carried out along the 122 km section from the Zhuravka station to the Bochenkovo ​​station.

Preparations for the launch of the remaining sections of the railway line bypassing Ukraine are “in the final stages,” Russian Railways said. The company promised to finally put the lines into operation and launch passenger train service by the end of autumn 2017.

A subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways, JSC RZDstroy, announced an auction for the construction of a railway bypassing Ukraine at the end of March 2015. The maximum contract price was set at 4.7 billion rubles.

The project for the construction of new railway tracks along the entire route (Prokhorovka - Zhuravka - Chertkovo - Bataysk) to replace the line crossing the territory of Ukraine in the Voronezh and Rostov regions was proposed back in 2015. 7 billion rubles were allocated for the implementation of the project. in 2015, in 2016 - 18.5 billion rubles, and in 2017 - 31.1 billion rubles. In 2015, the Minister of Transport promised that the construction of a railway to the south of Russia, bypassing Ukraine, would be completed by 2018.

“The new railway, 137 km long, passes through the Voronezh and Rostov regions. The road is electrified, double-track throughout its entire length; “Seven new railway stations were built here: Zaytsevka, Sergeevka, Sokhranovka, Kuteynikovo, Vinogradovka, Kolodezi and Bochenkovo,” says a report published by Russian Railways.

The company also noted that the implementation of the project required the creation of a large number of artificial structures. In total, 98 such objects have already been built, including five railway bridges, including a bridge over the Kalitva River 158 m long. In addition, representatives of Russian Railways said that a feature of the line was the large amount of earthwork required to level out the height difference on the line. The company emphasized that thanks to this, the new highway will become part of the high-speed railway connecting Central Russia with the Black Sea coast.

The maximum speed of passenger trains on the Zhuravka - Millerovo line will be 140 km/h with the prospect of increasing to 160 km/h. Freight trains will travel along the new railway line at speeds of up to 90 km/h.

In May of this year, Kyiv announced its intention to stop passenger rail traffic with Russia. Then Ukraine threatened to completely stop railway communication with the Russian Federation, banning the movement of passenger trains from July 1. On May 18, Ukraine announced the cessation of cargo transportation.

This information, however, was not confirmed by representatives of Ukrainian railway companies. Representatives emphasized that the authorities have not yet officially made a corresponding decision to restrict transportation.

Rumors about a possible cessation of passenger traffic between the Russian Federation and Ukraine were also denied by the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine. “Currently, our government has not considered the issue of stopping rail or bus passenger services between Ukraine and Russia,” he asserted in May.

According to the Ukrainian side, in 2016 passenger turnover with Russia reached 2 million people. If a ban is introduced, they will have to travel by road or fly in transit through Minsk and other airports in neighboring countries.

On October 25, 2015, direct flights between Russia and Ukraine were stopped. Ukraine called the cessation of flights to Crimea by Russian airlines as a condition for lifting these restrictions. Now you can get from Ukraine to Russia and vice versa by plane only with a transfer in Minsk, Riga, Istanbul or Chisinau.

Today, September 20, Russia announced that the construction of the railway section bypassing Ukraine has been completed and the first freight trains have already started running along it.

"Strana" found out what is known about this project, and what significance the launch of the bypass highway will have for Ukraine.

From the history of the issue

Construction of a double-track electrified railway line began on the Zhuravka-Millerovo section after an armed conflict broke out in the Donbass in 2014 between Russia and Ukraine.

During the Soviet era, the main railway connecting the center of Russia with the southern regions of the RSFSR passed through the territory of Ukraine. One of the lines of the highway went through Kharkov (now it is not in use - ed.), the second ran along the border between Russia and Ukraine, partially entering the territory of the Lugansk region.

There were also minor absurdities. For example, the Matveev Kurgan station was located in the Rostov region of Russia, but nevertheless it was part of the Ukrainian Donetsk Railway. It is clear that no one paid attention to such trifles during the time of the unified state.

There was another route from the center of Russia to the south of the republic. But it passed through Volgograd, was longer, and the trip for passengers along this route, for example from Moscow to Adler, became 12 hours longer.

Who built the bypass route and how?

After the start of the conflict in Donbass, Russia considered several options for a bypass piece of iron. As a result, the shortest and most economical one was chosen. The route starts at Zhuravka station in the Voronezh region and goes to Millerovo station in the Rostov region.

2016 Archive footage. This is how they built the highway bypassing Ukraine, video: State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Don-TR

The order of the Russian government on the construction of a bypass route was signed in the fall of 2015, although preparatory work began in 2014. An interesting detail is that at the time the official document was signed, the route project was not yet ready.

Construction was carried out by the structures of Russian Railways and the Russian railway troops. The participation of the military, of course, helped to significantly reduce construction costs. Military railway workers poured the roadbed and installed auxiliary facilities, while civilian specialists were directly involved in laying sleepers, rails and energy supply issues for the road.

How much did the new road cost Russia?

According to open data, 56.6 billion rubles were spent on the construction of the bypass road from the Russian federal budget (this is slightly less than $1 billion - Note Ed.). However, it is not reported whether this amount included costs from the budget of the Ministry of Defense.

The new route was planned to be completed in 2018. But they were ahead of schedule by a year.

And this is the section that was built.

What was built

Often I had to travel along the old railway, which crossed the territory of another state twice. Not to say that it was too inconvenient, but still two border controls, filling out even simple declarations, and some incomprehensibility of the fact that you seem to be traveling through Russia, but for some reason you are stopping in another state. Costs of the collapse of the USSR. But as you know, a few years ago there was a reason to correct this.

The railway bypassing Ukraine will start operating on August 15, 2017, that is, more than a year earlier than planned, said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Army General Dmitry Bulgakov. Builders have completed the construction of the roadbed on the section from 11 to 57 kilometers and are laying tracks on the Zaitsevka - Sergeevka section, Bulgakov said.

According to him, the Ministry of Defense has increased the group of railway troops during the construction of the branch, and now its personnel exceeds a thousand people. The group also includes 452 units of automotive, engineering and special equipment. From January 2017, another track battalion of the Southern Military District will be involved in the work, the deputy minister added.

Since Soviet times, the main railway line connecting Central Russia with the southern regions passed through the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. After the collapse of the USSR, Russian railway workers had to change routes in order to get rid of the need to cross the state border twice.

Nevertheless, to date, a section of the railway about 26 kilometers long, connecting the Central Federal District and the Rostov region, passes through the territory of the Lugansk region of Ukraine almost along the border with Russia. Russian trains from some regions still have to cross the border twice on their way to Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don.

Solutions to this problem have been proposed for a long time. The most ambitious involved the construction of the Prokhorovka – Zhuravka – Chertkovo – Bataysk railway line, bypassing Ukraine with a length of 748 kilometers.

The coup d'etat in Ukraine that occurred in February 2014 forced these plans to be adjusted in favor of a smaller-scale but faster-implementing project.

Several options for routing the bypass of the section passing through the territory of Ukraine were considered: Zhuravka - Sheptukhovka (length 149 km), Kantemirovka - Sheptukhovka (146.1 km) and Zhuravka - Millerovo (122.5 km). As a result, an option with a length of 122.5 km was approved, which allows moving the route of the highway away from the state border without significantly lengthening the route.

On the new section of the highway it is planned to build new railway stations Zaitsevka and Sergeevka in the Voronezh region, Sokhranovka, Kuteinikovo, Vinogradovka and Kolodezi in the Rostov region, as well as a bridge across the Belaya Kalitva River.

The order of the Russian government on the construction of the Zhuravka – Millerovo highway was signed in September 2015.

The double-track electrified railway Zhuravka – Millerovo is designed for a capacity of up to 100 pairs of trains per day. The design speed of the rolling stock in this section is 160 km per hour. Although the new section of the railway will be longer than the route through Ukraine, it is planned that the overall travel time could be reduced due to the disappearance of border controls.

This is what political scientist Alexander Chalenko says. - They have repeatedly stated that Moscow is an aggressor. We constantly see provocations from Kyiv. How can we know that when the train travels 26 kilometers across Ukrainian territory, everything will be fine? They can invent anything. Half of the passengers will be recognized as accomplices of terrorists and the border guards will remove them from the route. They will bring false accusations, for example, “likes” were placed on “separatist posts” on social networks. Then interrogations and arrests will begin. Or Ukrainian radicals will take it into their heads to take revenge on Russian citizens for some things. And they will throw Molotov cocktails at the carriages. And the Ukrainian authorities can take and block the route for trains at any second. Why take such a risk? Naturally, Russia wants to protect itself. The paths will go through safe territory. We understand perfectly well that this is a strategic road that connects the capital and the south of Russia.

sources

A new double-track electrified railway with a length of 137 km runs away from the Russian-Ukrainian border through the territories of the Voronezh and Rostov regions. Until today, all Russian trains in the Caucasus direction, including Moscow-Adler, travel 26 km through the Lugansk region, crossing the state border twice.

The main reason for the construction of the bypass line was concern for traffic safety, because the technical condition of the roadbed on the Ukrainian section of the highway connecting Moscow with the resorts of the Black Sea coast leaves much to be desired. In addition, there are inconveniences associated with crossing the border. With the opening of the new road, trains will travel through Russian territory.

As noted by the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, the Zhuravka-Millerovo section is of great importance for the safe and intensive transportation of passengers and cargo in the southern direction of the country.

Along the route, seven railway stations were modernized: Zaitsevka, Sergeevka, Sokhranovka, Kuteinikovo, Vinogradovka, Kolodezi and Bochenkovo. The maximum speed of passenger trains will be 140 km/h, for freight trains - 90 km/h. According to official data, the federal budget spent 55 billion rubles on the project.

Progress or oblivion?

The old railway going towards Ukraine and the new bypass are clearly visible from the M-4 Don federal highway between the city of Millerovo and the village of Malchevskaya, Rostov region. Some motorists stop and take selfies. Train traffic here is intense, trains leave every ten minutes. Soon the locomotives will change direction and begin to turn towards the Russian side.

New railway bypassing Ukraine. Kuteinikovo station (Chertkovsky district). Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

The upcoming event will change the lives of many villagers in the border settlements of the Chertkovsky and Millerovsky districts of the Rostov region. For some people, a new piece of hardware means progress, for others it means oblivion.

Second life of Maryana farm

The new Kuteinikovo station is located on the territory of the Maryany farm; the railway came here for the first time. A three-story building for duty shifts has already been built here and the equipment is being connected. The electrical substation is ready, construction of a station for passengers will begin soon. In the village, in addition to the seven streets, one more was added, on which two sixteen-apartment buildings for railway workers are being built.

Builders are finishing the arrangement of the adjacent territory of the new railway. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

At first, the residents of Maryanovsk were wary of large-scale construction, but gradually realized their advantage. The most important thing is that many of them have found work at their place of residence and now do not leave their families for distant lands to earn money. Contracting organizations hired Maryanovsk residents as drivers, machine operators, and cooks.

“Of course, I am pleased with the changes that the railway has brought to the lives of my fellow countrymen. Maryana's farm begins a second life. The territory of the Kuteinikovo railway station is growing and being improved,” says the head of the rural settlement, Vitaly Neshcheret. In his opinion, personnel from Chertkovo will be transferred to Kuteinikovo, so existing railway workers will not lose their jobs.

"Hole in the Budget"

For residents of the settlement of Kolodezi, as well as the village of Maryany, the railway is a new thing. A crossing was built a few kilometers from Kolodezei, and now the usual sedate life of the villagers has changed. People are adapting to new realities and getting used to the proximity of a steel highway.

The head of the Kolodezyansky rural settlement, Viktor Rudoy, ​​calculates both the pros and cons: “The budget of the rural settlement now has a hole of 50 thousand rubles for the land confiscated by the “federals” from farmers, which is 300 hectares. We won’t receive enough taxes on them now.”

In settlements adjacent to the railway, roads are being renovated and bridges are being built. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

The “piece of iron” affected the interests of thousands of land shareholders; collective farmers receive compensation. Rural entrepreneurs had to change their business strategy because the canvas divided the fields into two parts. Some farms had equipment on one side and land on the other.

Places for agricultural machinery to pass under the tracks were agreed upon with the builders, not without problems. As a result, they managed to find a balance of interests; the railway workers heard the local population. The “Punctures” were built to the required width, even the combine harvester with the header passes under the railway. Therefore, the farmers’ fears were in vain.

Viktor Rudoy notes the advantage of being next to a railway station: “The villagers have new jobs. At the Kolodezi station, seven people service the power plant; personnel will also be required to maintain the bridge. There are plans to build three four-apartment houses for railway workers.”

The road bypassing Ukraine is located 25 km from the border. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

The "piece of iron" left the villagers

But not all settlements are as lucky as the village of Maryany or the settlement of Kolodezi. There are also those that the thread did not reach.

The population of the small village of Malchevskaya, which, like the regional center of Chertkovo, was left aside by the new “piece of iron”, will suffer more than others due to the change in traffic.

The settlement owes its almost one and a half century history to railway workers. In 1865, a station was built in Malchevskaya on the railway leading from Voronezh to Rostov, and all the years life in the village flourished thanks to the industry. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, long-distance passenger trains Tambov-Rostov, Zhdanov-Voronezh, Moscow-Rostov and many others stopped in Malchevskaya, but now only one electric train Rostov-Chertkovo makes a short stop.

The main feature of the station in Malchevskaya in the seventies and eighties were two buffets, open around the clock, in which they sold alcohol by the glass: beer, wine, vodka. Many train passengers traveling to southern resorts or home to Moscow knew about this fact and were looking forward to the stop. During the ten minutes of parking, some holidaymakers managed to get so pumped up that they then ran after the train. There were also those who lagged behind the train...

Trains are still passing through Chertkovo station: the passage to the tracks is blocked by an embankment. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

But there is another side to the life of village residents: the death of people under the wheels of trains. “Empty trains” stand for hours (or even days) waiting for trains to form, so locals are forced to “dive” under the cars in order to cross to the opposite side.

“Accidents are not uncommon here. Last year a man was hit by a train, I identified him. My grandmother also died: she did not hear the signal of an oncoming train,” said the head of the Malchevsky rural settlement, Alexander Gusakov. “We asked to build a pedestrian bridge over the railway tracks for many decades for the safety of people, but it was built at the neighboring Bochenkovo ​​station, through which the new line passed.”

The village head is disappointed that the designers chose the Bochenkovo ​​crossing, where there are practically no residents, and not Malchevskaya, where 3.5 thousand villagers live. Alexander Gusakov is sure that without the “hardware” his fellow countrymen will feel worse: “For us this is not good news at all, because we are already attached to it. The railway provided jobs at the oil depot and elevator, but now I don’t know what will happen. They say they won’t clean up the old road, but I don’t believe it. After all, Russia pays money for travel through the territory of Ukraine.”

Chertkovo on the side of the road

Chertkovo station, located in the regional center, will also lose its hub status. Here, Ukrainians from the neighboring village of Melovoe are more worried than others. Many residents of the neighboring state use the Rostov-Chertkovo train to travel to work in Rostov-on-Don. Now it is unclear whether the electric train will be left on the old line. Now it’s very convenient for Ukrainians: they crossed the railway bridge and immediately found themselves at the Russian Chertkovo station.

“It’s better for the country, of course, but it’s inconvenient for us,” says Chertkovo resident Alexandra Fomenko. “We hope that the Chertkovo station building will be abandoned, but will they keep it staffed for the sake of one train?”

The village of Chertkovo today. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

The head of the administration of the Chertkovsky rural settlement, Tatyana Bezgina, is more optimistic in her forecasts: “In my opinion, the bypass will not affect the residents of the village. We don’t travel by train every day.”

Nevertheless, changes in the lives of Chertkovtsy residents can already be observed, and of a positive nature. A year ago, the twenty-five-kilometer highway from Chertkovo to Kuteinikovo did not stand up to criticism, it was full of potholes and potholes. Now the track has been thoroughly repaired, driving along it is a pleasure. According to the designers' plan, Chertkovo will be replaced by Kuteinikovo. Long-distance passenger trains traveling from Moscow to the south and back will stop here.

Local residents were given jobs at the construction site. Photo: AiF/ Vitaly Kolbasin

Continuation of the Center-South project

In terms of strategic importance, experts compare the new Zhuravka-Millerovo railway section with the Kerch Bridge and the construction of a railway in Eastern Siberia and the Far East (the Baikal-Amur Mainline). But this is only the beginning of Russian Railways’ large-scale plans in the Center-South direction. The next stage is the construction of the Moscow-Rostov-Adler high-speed line (HSR). Construction of the Rostov-Krasnodar-Adler and Tula-Voronezh sections is planned for 2021-2025. By 2030, they plan to build a high-speed railway between Rostov and Voronezh. The total travel time from Moscow to Rostov will be 4.5 hours (instead of 18 hours by passenger train), from Rostov to Adler - 3.5 hours (instead of 11 hours).