In August 2026, reconstruction of the tram tracks on the section from Pervomaysky Park to Aksakov Street, spanning more than 12 kilometres of single track, was completed in Leninsky District. Work began in May 2025 and formed part of a large-scale modernisation of Nizhny Novgorod's tram infrastructure that was launched in 2022.[3]

Progress and challenges

The contractor for the reconstruction was Ekologicheskiye Proyekty LLC — the organisation holding the concession for the renewal of the city's tram network. Under the concession, nearly 150 km of track is to be replaced, three depots and 15 traction substations are to be upgraded, and 170 new trams are to be procured.[3] On this section, specialists completely replaced the track superstructure and the overhead contact system: old poles were dismantled and new contact wire was strung.[2]

The reconstruction took place in difficult conditions. The tram tracks pass through residential neighbourhoods and a large, densely built private-housing area, where the tracks intersect with utility networks. According to Yevgeny Grabovsky, Director of Ekologicheskiye Proyekty LLC, additional work was required to protect gas pipelines and other utilities from damage, which took time and demanded the development of engineering solutions. The schedule was also affected by weather and the need to coordinate with municipal services.[5][3] The section opened with some delay relative to the original plan.[1]

Part of tram route No. 417 on this section — from Pervomaysky Park to the Krasnaya Etna district — was laid approximately a hundred years ago: Nizhny Novgorod tram.[1][2]

Results and significance

On 12 August 2026, the upgraded section was inspected by Gleb Nikitin, together with Deputy Governor Sergey Morozov, Deputy Chairman of the regional government Pavel Savateev, and the contractor's director Yevgeny Grabovsky.[4] Nikitin described the scale of the entire modernisation as a "revolution" comparable to building a tram network from scratch.[2] At the time this section was completed, approximately 120 km of the 149 km covered by the programme had already been renewed, and almost all 170 new tram cars had been delivered. According to Governor Gleb Nikitin, once track replacement across the entire programme is completed in 2027, not a single old tram car will remain on the streets of Nizhny Novgorod.[6][5]

Following the completion of reconstruction, the routing of tram No. 417 changed: the route was restored between Moscow Railway Station and Aksakov Street. Four trams entered service on the line at 10–12 minute intervals, with the number of rolling stock planned to increase subsequently.[1][5] The tram remains one of the most in-demand forms of transport in this part of the city, where the private-housing area has virtually no alternative public transport.[2]

Context: tram network modernisation

The reconstruction of the section in Leninsky District is one stage of a city-wide programme that started in 2022. By August 2026, the renewal of the tram network in the Upper Part was approaching completion; work in the riverside districts was continuing. Simultaneously, reconstruction was under way on the section from Dubki Park, on the stretches between Sotsgorod-1 and Sotsgorod-2, and from Igarskaya Street to the Northern gatehouse. In 2027, track replacement on Kirov Avenue and Avtozavodsky District was planned.[3][4] Trams travel 1.5 times faster on the new rails, and passenger numbers have doubled over the course of the programme. Alongside the tram network reconstruction, Nizhny Novgorod's electric public transport network is expanding: the total length of trolleybus and e-bus routes reached 210 km by 2026, route network coverage grew by 34%, and the upper part of the city is already served exclusively by e-buses. The authorities expect that annual e-bus passenger numbers will rise from 12 million to 30.5 million thanks to route extensions into new residential microdistricts.[6][1]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — More than 12 km of tram tracks reconstructed in Leninsky District
  2. Vremya N — More than 12 km of tram tracks renewed on the section from Pervomaysky Park to Aksakov Street in Nizhny Novgorod
  3. V Gorode N — Tram track reconstruction completed in Leninsky District of Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  4. GIPERNN — Tram tracks from Pervomaysky Park to Aksakov Street replaced in Nizhny Novgorod
  5. GTRK "Nizhny Novgorod" (Vesti) — Tram No. 417 returns to its route
  6. Otkryty Nizhny — Nizhny Novgorod completes replacement of 12 km of tram tracks — According to Governor Gleb Nikitin, once track replacement across the entire programme is completed in 2027, not a single old tram… (archive)