Gorky Railway of Russian Railways is one of the oldest railways in Russia. It traces its origins to the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod Railway, built in 1862.
About the Gorky Railway
The Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod Railway passed through the territories of the Moscow, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod Governorate governorates. It connected central Russia with the Volga Region and the eastern parts of the country, and played an important role in supplying Moscow with agricultural produce, as well as in delivering goods to the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka. The main lines were: Moscow–Vladimir (service opened in 1861) and Vladimir–Nizhny Novgorod (1862). Total length (1862): 410 versts (the earthwork was graded for two tracks; single-track operation until 1875). The earliest proposals for constructing the Nizhny Novgorod Railway date to the 1830s. Notable among them was a publication by N. P. Shcheglov advocating railway construction between St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. The idea was supported by many progressive figures, including M. S. Volkov, whose article defending railway transport in Russia Pushkin had planned to publish in the journal Sovremennik (1836). The question of building the railway was finally settled in 1857. The concession for construction was awarded to the Main Company of Russian Railways, which the executive authority transferred to the Main Central Administration, headed by the French engineer C. Collignon. The practical work was carried out under the supervision of Russian engineers, many of whom were graduates of the Institute of the Corps of Transport Engineers (including A. I. Delvig). In laying out the route, surveyors used data gathered during preparatory surveys for the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod highway (conducted in 1845). Construction began on the Moscow–Vladimir section in May 1858; work on the Vladimir–Nizhny Novgorod section commenced in the spring of 1859. The workforce comprised both free hired laborers and peasants from the neighboring governorates recruited under compulsory hire. The line used the first rails produced by the state-owned Kama-Votkinsk Plant. Engineered structures were erected, including the Gorodishchevskoye, Kovrovsky, and Galichsky bridges.
Twenty-seven railway stations were built, along with depots, station buildings, a sleeper-treatment plant, railway workshops (the most technically advanced being in Kovrov), and residential housing for staff and workers; libraries and hospitals were also established. Personnel were trained at vocational schools in Kovrov and Nizhny Novgorod. The line opened along its full length on 1 August 1862, though work on reinforcing embankments, strengthening engineered structures, and developing stations continued for another two to three years. I. F. König served as head of the railway from 1863 to 1868. In 1878, a second track was laid on the Moscow–Vladimir section (237 versts), and in 1892 it was extended to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1888, the rolling stock comprised 3,623 freight and 268 passenger carriages. Until 1894, the railway was owned by the Main Company of Railways. Between 1893 and 1895, the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod Railway was merged with the Moscow–Kursk Railway and the Murom Railway, with management based in Moscow. Net income amounted to approximately 4.7% of the principal capital (273 million rubles in 1900). In May 1918, the railway was transferred to the jurisdiction of the NKPS (People's Commissariat of Railways of the USSR).
In 1936, in accordance with an order of the People's Commissariat of Railways, the Gorky Railway was separated from the Moscow–Kursk Railway (information about which can be found in the "History of the Moscow Railway") — Nizhny Novgorod having been renamed Gorky in 1932 — while the Kazan Railway was separated from the Moscow–Kazan Railway.
In 1961, the merger of the Gorky and Kazan trunk lines created the Gorky Railway.
Today the Gorky trunk line stretches 5,734 km from Petushki station (Vladimir Region) to Druzhinino station (Sverdlovsk Region).
The Gorky Railway serves 15 federal subjects, including 6 republics (Mordovia, Chuvashia, Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Mari El, and Bashkortostan), 8 regions (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Kirov, Sverdlovsk, Vologda, Ryazan, and Ulyanovsk), and Perm Krai.
The railway serves 205 administrative-territorial districts, home to more than 14 million people. Running through territories that contain the greatest concentration of Russian cities with populations exceeding one million, the Gorky Railway is one of the busiest passenger railways in the country.
Of considerable transport and economic significance is the relatively close proximity of the Gorky Railway's home city — Nizhny Novgorod — to the Russian capital. The Nizhny Novgorod–Moscow line is one of the most intensively used in the Russian Federation.
The neutral section of the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the Gorky Railway, which accounts for its great importance as a transit route. Nevertheless, the Gorky Railway's area of responsibility is also a territory of substantial outbound freight origination, including petroleum and petroleum products, output from chemical plants and fertilizer producers, metallurgical and engineering enterprises, timber harvesting and processing operations, and construction materials.
The Gorky Railway is one of the most technically advanced railways in the Russian Federation. Electric traction accounts for approximately 90 percent of all haulage. The railway carries more than 90 million passengers and dispatches more than 44 billion tons of freight annually. The railway's in-house freight transport service center can fulfill shipment orders to any country in the world.
In 2005, new or fully reconstructed station buildings opened at Izhevsk, Kazan, Kukmor, Shumerlya, Kotelnich, Kovrov, Yoshkar-Ola, and Uren. In 2006, new station buildings opened at Alatyr and Semyonov, along with a suburban terminal at Gorky-Moskovskiy station and in Nizhny Novgorod. In the current year, the station at Vurnary reopened following a full-scale reconstruction.
In 2007, journey times were reduced for 24 long-distance trains on the trunk line, thanks to improvements in track condition, schedule optimization, and route rationalization between origin and destination points. The inter-regional express suburban electric train program "Express" is being successfully implemented. Nizhny Novgorod is now connected by express services to all neighboring major cities: Kirov, Kazan, Murom, and Vladimir.
A new chapter in the trunk line's history is being opened by the high-speed service project on the Nizhny Novgorod–Moscow line. Regular service at 160 km/h on the Nizhny Novgorod–Moscow section is planned to launch in August 2008.
By August 2008, large-scale comprehensive works to upgrade the railway infrastructure on the Nizhny Novgorod–Petushki section will be completed.
Facts and Figures
The Gorky Railway borders the following railways: the Moscow Railway (at Petushki and Cherusti stations), the Sverdlovsk Railway (at Cheptsa and Druzhinino stations), the Northern Railway (at Novki, Susolovka, and Svecha stations), and the Kuybyshev Railway (at Krasny Uzel and Tsilna stations).
The total expanded length of the railway is 12,066.4 km. The length of main railway tracks is 7,987 km.
The trunk line's main routes consist of two parallel east–west corridors: Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod–Kirov and Moscow–Kazan–Yekaterinburg, connected by cross-links.
The operational length of the railway is 5,295.6 km.
The expanded length of the main tracks is 7,958.3 km.
The expanded length of station tracks is 3,177.6 km.
The expanded length of approach tracks is 916.0 km.
The length of main track laid on reinforced-concrete sleepers is 4,714.8 km.
The length of continuously welded rail is 4,501.8 km.
The main tracks of the railway are equipped predominantly with heavy-type R-65 rails, which have been laid over 7,809.4 km, representing 98.1% of the total.
The railway currently comprises five divisions: Murom, Gorky, Kirov, Kazan, and Izhevsk.
The number of switch sets is 9,896, of which 508 are equipped with electric heating.
The number of level crossings is 972, of which 180 are attended.
The number of curves is 6,737 (covering 2,630.8 km).
The number of bridges, viaducts, and overpasses is 1,442 units/meters.
The operational length of electrified sections is 2,896 km.
The number of transformer substations is 3,399.
The length of high-voltage lines is 9,741 km; low-voltage lines — 2,235.6 km.
The railway comprises 389 stations, 4 of which are major classification yards. All classification yards on the trunk line are equipped with mechanized humps. The railway's largest stations are known throughout the entire 1,520 mm gauge network: Gorky-Sortirovochny, Gorky-Moskovskiy, Kirov, Kazan, Agryz, Izhevsk, Kostarikha, Vladimir, Lyangasovo, and Yudino. Freight operations are conducted at more than 250 stations.
High-Speed Service on the Nizhny Novgorod–Moscow Segment
Since 2002, accelerated passenger trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h have been operating on the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod section, and since January 2007 its reconstruction for high-speed service has been under way. Investment in this year alone totaled approximately 4 billion rubles. The result will be that by 2009, trains capable of 160 km/h, with a journey time of 3.5 hours, will run on this section.
The high-speed passenger trains "Burevestnik-1" (No. 61/62) and "Burevestnik-2" (No. 115/116) will cover the distance from the center of the Volga Federal District to the Russian capital in three and a half hours. Journey times will also be reduced for other passenger trains that traverse the Nizhny Novgorod–Petushki section as part of their routes — for example, the named train "Vyatka" (Kirov–Moscow).
Investment in the project under the high-speed service development program of Russian Railways JSC will exceed 9.5 billion rubles; in addition, significant funds from the capital repair budget will be invested in parallel.
Capital investment will go primarily toward upgrading the track superstructure, reconstructing the overhead contact network at stations, modernizing automatic block signaling systems, realigning curves, and acquiring new rolling stock. Safety issues for high-speed operations and the improvement of level crossings are also being given priority attention during the reconstruction of the section.
As part of the high-speed service project, 8 stations were commissioned by the end of 2007: Kosterovo, Yuryevets, Boldino, Koloksha, Mstyora, Saryevo, Terekhovitsy, and Vtoroye.
Track superstructure repairs are being carried out by the Track Repair Directorate of the Gorky Railway, while platform repairs are handled by contractor organizations. Builders are performing a large volume of work to shift track alignments — curves are being eliminated and the usable track length at stations is being increased. Repair works do not disrupt the train timetable on the section and are carried out during scheduled maintenance windows. Large-scale works to upgrade the railway infrastructure on the Nizhny Novgorod–Petushki section (the westernmost terminal station of the Gorky Railway) are planned for completion by August 2008. A total of 28 stations will be reconstructed. In 2007, the main infrastructure development work is being carried out on the Petushki–Vyazniki section; in 2008, reconstruction is scheduled for the Vyazniki–Gorky-Moskovskiy sections.
The implementation of this project will also bring significant benefits for suburban passengers. Platforms will be raised to high-level boarding height, with a width of no less than 4.5 m. The platforms will be equipped with canopies and electric lighting. The grounds of each station will be enclosed by a fence. Stations will be fitted with automatic signaling devices to warn passengers of approaching trains.
It is planned that the Nizhny Novgorod–Moscow route will eventually be served by Velaro RUS high-speed electric multiple units manufactured by Siemens.
According to the project, a covered depot for Siemens trains, accommodating 8 trainsets, will be based on the Gorky trunk line; 4 of them will operate on the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod route, and the remainder on the Moscow–Saint Petersburg route. Design work is currently under way.
The total payback period for the project is estimated at approximately nine and a half years.