Lightweight trams. High-speed tram in Moscow

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The possibility of launching such transport as high-speed trams in the Russian capital has been discussed for a long time. In 2005, the project for laying such a line was presented at one of the press conferences by the chairman of the public movement "Muscovites for the tram" A. Morozov, the representative of the UITP V. Tikhonov and the editor of the publishing house "Railway Depot" A. Myasnikov. The prospects for the development of this type of transport have long been considered by the authorities of the capital. To date (2015), a decision has been made to implement four high-speed tram projects: to Biryulyovo, to the Lianozovo platform, and to the Ivanovskoye and Severnoye districts. It is planned that in the coming years all these branches will already begin to function.

How the idea came about

In Europe, high-speed trams are widely used. There are such lines in our country: in Volgograd, Ust-Ilimsk, Kazan and Stary Oskol. Of course, they are not particularly large-scale, but the reviews of the townspeople deserved very good ones. In Ukraine, in Kyiv, such trams were launched back in the days of the USSR - in 1978. So the new idea of \u200b\u200busingthese light, fast and at the same time economical vehicles cannot be called. According to the authorities, launching high-speed trams in Moscow can significantly reduce the load on other types of passenger transport. With such lines available, residents of the capital and its guests will find it much easier to get to the metro, to remote areas of the metropolis, or, perhaps, even to satellite cities.

What is light rail

What is this type of vehicle and how convenient can it be? High-speed, according to SNiP, are those lines along which trams are able to travel more than 24 kilometers in an hour. The main features of such highways can also be attributed to:

• Isolation from traffic and pedestrian crossings (full or partial).
• Very long hauls and limited number of stops. In the projects of Moscow lines between the latter, a distance of at least 700 meters is provided. For comparison: the bus travels approximately 300-400 m from stop to stop.
• Use tram trains with a minimum length of 28 meters.

The high-speed tram in Moscow, according to the projects, will fully comply with all these standards.

Dignity of light rail

The construction of this relatively new type of transport in Russia is considered by the Moscow authorities as a very good alternative to the metro, buses and trolleybuses. According to the Administration, high-speed trams will make moving around the capital much moreconvenient. This type of land transport combines the best qualities of both the metro and buses. Its main features are:

• High speed transportation. 24 km / h is only the lower threshold for the movement of such trains. In practice, trams of this variety can travel at speeds up to 80 km/h. As the number of stops decreases, the travel time decreases even more.
• Building a high-speed tram line costs 10 times less than laying a subway line of the same length.
• This type of transport is considered more convenient than the subway. After all, passengers do not have to go underground. Its capacity is not much different from that of the metro.
• A high-speed tram, the speed of which in practice is actually quite high, in addition to everything else, it also does not experience any difficulties when driving in ice and snow (unlike the same buses and trolleybuses).
• Because this type of transport does not depend on traffic jams, it never deviates from the designed traffic schedule.
• An important advantage is that this type of vehicle is environmentally absolutely safe.

Disadvantages of light rail

There are practically no cons of this type of transport. Some disadvantages include only the need to build a separate canvas, which significantly increases the width of city highways. The additional load on the city's power grids can also be indirectly attributed to the disadvantages of such transport ashigh-speed trams. However, since such compositions do not consume too much energy, this disadvantage is not considered particularly serious.

Line to Biryulyovo

According to the project, this new highway in Moscow will be designed to carry about 150,000 passengers per day. Tram routes of this line will run from Prazhskaya metro station to the western and eastern parts of Biryulyovo. According to preliminary data, the travel time for residents of this area to the "subway" will be reduced by about 30%. If now Biryulyovites have to get to Prazhskaya in 70-85 minutes, then with the launch of the high-speed tram, they will spend no more than an hour on the road.

The total length of this line will be 8.2 km. Part of it (2.1 km) will pass along the overpass. It is assumed that trams will run every 4-6 minutes. Their average speed will be 25-28 km/h. Travel time from the final stop in Biryulyovo to Prazhskaya station will not exceed 10-12 minutes. The project provides for the arrangement of only ten stops (at a distance of 800 m). One of them will operate on the flyover.

Initially it was supposed to loop one of the lines in Zapadnoye Biryulyovo. However, local residents objected and the project was revised.

Line to Ivanovskoe area

This is another project approved by the Moscow authorities. This light rail line will connect the Ivanovskoye district and the Shosse Entuziastov metro station. According to the project, its length will be about 6.5 kilometers. The tram will stop along the route for sixtimes.

The construction of this line will improve transport services for 80,000 residents of not only the Ivanovskoye district, but also Perovo. The line will be designed for approximately 105,000 passengers daily. After the launch of the line, residents of the districts will get to the metro 30-40 minutes less.

Line to Northern area

This route is also planned to be accepted in the near future. The length of the Severny - Lianozovo platform line will be about 5.4 km. There will be five stops along the way. The average tram speed, as in previous cases, will be 25-28 km/h. On the way, residents of the district from the starting station to the final one will spend about 11 minutes. The track will be able to take a load of 50 thousand people per day.

Line to Medvedkovo

Another line will be laid from the Lianozovo platform station to the Altufievo metro station. Further, the paths will stretch to Medvedkovo. Below is a diagram of a high-speed tram from the Severny district to Altufievo and further to Medvedkovo. Thus, the fourth route project is a continuation of the third one. That is, after both of them are implemented, it will be possible to get from the Medvedkovo station all the way to the Severny district.

Light Rail and Housing Prices

Inhabitants of those areas where such routes will be laid, most likely, will receive one more advantage. According to experts, the cost of square meters will increase in these parts of the city. Of course, the rise in prices will not be as noticeable as during construction, for example,subway lines. However, the routes of high-speed trains can increase the cost of housing in Biryulyovo, Severny and Ivanovsky quite significantly.

Actually, the tram routes of all lines were developed taking into account the wishes of the residents of those areas where they are planned to be laid. So in any case, this type of transport will be the most convenient, reliable and also very inexpensive.