Elektrichka
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Elektrichka (
Name
"Elektrichka" was initially a colloquial abbreviation for elektropoyezd (Russian: электропо́езд, electric train), the official term for electrical multiple unit passenger train in respective languages. However, it is gradually becoming a part of the official trademark names. For instance, the new intra-city train service in Kyiv is officially called "elektrychka" in Ukrainian. The popular Internet search engine Yandex officially uses Russian "elektrichka" in its branded online schedule services.[3][4]
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the term "Elektrichka" is not in use with non-Russian speaking population in some countries where native Slavic language speakers are not in the majority.[citation needed]
Rolling stock
All elektrichkas are
ER-2 and ER-9 trains contain an even number of cars; of each adjacent pair, one is equipped with motors and the other carries pneumatic equipment. Cars with cabs carry pneumatic equipment, and motor cars are easily recognizable because of
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union some successor nations started production of new elektrichka models with limited success. Due to underfunding during the 1990s, railways continue to use Soviet-built trains, preferring renovation over replacement. Consequently, most elektrichkas in use are similar in appearance, differing only in livery; the Soviet-era standard was dark green, with red stripes on the front and a yellow stripe on the side of the train. Some newer models have wider doors or other electric engines, for example ED4 and EP2D series, cars are 1.5 windows longer and have wider doors, or ET4A with asynchronous motors.
Non-elektrichka regional trains
The dizelnyi poezd (Russian: ди́зельный по́езд, "diesel train"; colloquially, dizel Russian: ди́зель or motovoz, Russian: мотово́з) is a Soviet-type
Typical service organization
The elektrichka's crew consists of a driver and an assistant driver. Since distances between stations are usually long, elektrichkas also stop at specially built stops known as "platforms" (Russian: платфо́рма). Sometimes these stops consist of nothing more than a simple platform, shorter than the length of the train and located in isolated areas. Some platforms lack permanent personnel or lighting. In some areas, elektrichkas stop at seasonal stops without a structure (in forest areas these are colloquially known as "mushroom stops", because they are extensively used by mushroom gatherers).
Elektrichkas are maintained in special depots (Russian: моторваго́нное депо, motorvagonnoye depo, Ukrainian: моторваго́нне депо́, motorvahonne depo), where trains are repaired and train crews employed. However, neither elektrichkas nor their crews return to a depot every day; instead, they are assigned to the end stations of the routes.
Regional details
Russia
Elektrichkas for Russian Railways are manufactured in Demikhovo, Moscow Oblast, Torzhok, Tver Oblast and Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Oblast. The trains link almost all cities which have a railroad with its outskirts and with its surrounding cities. Much of the countryside which they pass through is scenic. The elektrichka is an indispensable mode of transportation in Russia.[6]
Ukraine
Ukraine, possessing a dense network of
Many Ukrainian elektrichkas are evolving into inter-city services. There are new direct lines such as the
In Kyiv, since 2011, conventional elektrychka trains serve the new municipal rail service, the Kyiv Urban Electric Train. Financially, the project significantly differs from traditional elektrychkas.
Latvia
The main electric railway in Latvia is centered in the capital city of Riga. The first electrified trains connected Riga with the Dubulti station in the seaside resort of Jūrmala in 1950. By 1970, electrification extended westward towards Tukums. Used largely by commuters, the railway also has branches extending to Jelgava, Skulte and Aizkraukle. Parts of Latvia outside the Riga region are served by diesel trains. Upon regaining independence, the Latvian government removed the Soviet seals that appeared on many of the older green trains.
Because plans for a subway for Riga fell through in the 1980s, the railway remains the fastest way to travel around the city and its vicinity.[according to whom?] In 2022, all Latvian electric railway routes operate various variants of ER2 trains, however they're expected to be phased out by 2024.
Estonia
The electric railway in
The first electrified line in Estonia was opened in 1924, connecting Tallinn with what was, back then, a town, Nõmme going as far as Pääsküla. Construction started in 1923 when government provided 34 million Estonian marks. The technology needed for the establishment of the electrical line was bought from German and Swedish companies (MAN, Siemens-Schuckert, ASEA).
Before the Soviet occupation began in 1940, electrical railways carried annually 6 million passengers and the rolling stock did comprise in total 20 passenger wagons: four electric railcars (M1-M4) and 16 railcar trailers. M1-M4s were "evacuated" to Soviet Union during the first week of Eastern Front in 1941.
All other electrified lines were created during the Soviet times. This was done by upgrading the standard railway track to electrical. ER1 electric trainset operated on the Estonian electrical railways from 1975 summer until writing of the last one was retired in 2005 summer. Since 2013, Stadler FLIRT trains are being used on Estonian electrical railways.[8]
Social impact
Elektrichkas are an important means of transport in post-Soviet countries, providing a cheap and easily accessible connection between city and countryside. The railway network is well-developed, while bus service to towns and villages may be rare or unreliable. Automobile and truck ownership in rural areas is rare, and elektrichkas are relatively reliable and safe. They are useful for dachniks and peasants selling their harvest at city markets. Some areas also have roads in poor condition, so railroads have an advantage in speed and comfort.
The trains are also a popular means of suburban and commuter transport for the region's large cities such as
The governments and railway companies of these countries support elektrichka service. Although ticket prices are being raised, operational costs are subsidized. Even with this subsidy, many passengers bribe ticket agents to avoid paying full fare. Fake ticket agents have been known to steal money from passengers, and large luggage and pets are sometimes carried unpaid. Some elektrichka stops with low ridership lack ticket offices. Although a ticketless rider (if caught) must pay full fare, since he had no opportunity to get a ticket as there was no ticket office at his real or purported boarding station, no fine may be imposed on them if they say they boarded the train at a stop without a ticket office. Since the list of stops with no ticket office is well-known, this is sometimes used for fare evasion.
Poor people often use the elektrichkas for long-distance travel, because they are easy to ride without tickets and connect large and small stations. For example, it is possible to get from Moscow to Saint Petersburg for free via five elektrichkas, with stops at Tver, Bologoe, Okulovka and Malaya Vishera. This method of travel is called yezda na sobakakh (Russian: езда на собаках) or "dog-riding". This mode of travel is sometimes used by football fans. Elektrichkas have a high rate of on-board crime.[citation needed] As of 2008,[update] there are new trains (generally on popular routes from Moscow and St. Petersburg) which are comfortable; some are operated by private companies and are safe, clean and well-maintained. These elektrichkas are usually high-speed and have few stops; tickets are more expensive, and such elektrichkas serve as true inter-city trains; cheaper trains often connect cities and their suburbs only.
In remote regions of Russia with no electrified railroads, elektrichkas and dizels are sometimes replaced by short trains of one or two passenger cars and one or two flatcars hauled by diesel locomotives, due to the harsh climate which does not allow the use of modern rolling stock. These are known as bichevoz (Russian: бичевоз, "hobo train").[citation needed]
Cultural significance
As a social symbol in the former Soviet Union, the elektrichka is the subject of art and literature. Poslednyaya elektrichka (Russian: После́дняя электри́чка, "The Last Elektrichka"), a
As always, you and I were together until late in the evening;
As always, this wasn't enough for us;
As always, your mother called you home.
So I headed for the train station.
Once again
The last elektrichka ran away from me
And I was
walking down the tracks,
Down the tracks on my way home.
The rock band Kino used the gloomy image of a morning elektrichka to depict society's atmosphere of fear and apathy.[citation needed] A song with the same title was released on their first album, "45".
In the vestibule, it's chilly but at the same time warm
In the vestibule, the air is full of cigarette smoke, but at the same time it's fresh
Why do I keep silent, why am I not shouting? I am silent.The elektrichka is taking me where I don't want to go.
Scenes in some popular
See also
- 101st kilometre
- History of rail transport in Russia
- Commuter Rail
- Limited-stop
- List of suburban and commuter rail systems
- Interurban, a similar system that existed in the United States
- Overhead lines
- Rail terminals
- Paveletsky Rail Terminal, Moscow
- Rizhsky Rail Terminal, Moscow
- Varshavsky Rail Terminal, St.Petersburg
- Rail terminology
- Regional rail
- Russian Railways
- S-Bahn, the German speaking term for a similar system
- The Museum of the Moscow Railway
- Transport in Russia
- Transportation in Ukraine
- Ukrzaliznytsia
References
- ^ Генеральная схема развития московского железнодорожного узла [The master plan for the development of the Moscow railway hub] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ Yelena Leontieva (6 July 2005). "78 Years Ago the First Elektrichka Came Along". Zdp.ru. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
- ^ Киев. Расписание самолётов, поездов и электричек (in Russian). Rasp.yandex.ua. Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ "Yandex.Trains - Android-apps op Google Play". Market.android.com. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ISBN 978-1-77313-021-7.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Moscow Times (April 29, 1998). "William Brumfield, As Moscow's Elektrichka, Goes, So Goes Russia". Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ Trains in Ukraine, Elektrichka Archived 2016-03-25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "History | Elron". elron.ee. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ Moscow Commuters And The Meaning Of Life
External links
- Moscow Commuters And The Meaning Of Life from the BBC World News
- (in Russian) Photo gallery of elektrichkas in post-Soviet countries (sorted by model; all models, angles and liveries available with descriptions)
- (in Russian) An amateur guide for elektrichka travellers & fans in the post-Soviet countries (including schedules for all national railways, travel tips, history section etc.)