Trams in Krasnodar

Krasnodar tramway is an electric streetcar system in the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai, the city of Krasnodar. It is the largest and oldest streetcar system in the south of European Russia. Today, the streetcar network connects a large part of neighborhoods with the city center and, on a par with the bus and trolleybus, is the main type of public transport in Krasnodar.

History

The first streetcar in Yekaterinodar was launched on December 23, 1900. Yekaterinodar became the seventeenth streetcar city in the Russian Empire. In 1908, construction of a suburban line to Pashkovskaya village began (on gasoline-powered traction from April 4, 1912 to 1914, on electric traction from December 14, 1914); included in the city streetcar system in 1920, but continued to exist relatively isolated.

The very first streetcar line in Yekaterinodar was built by the Belgian joint-stock company Traction and Electricity Company. The first streetcar routes of the city were: along Krasnaya Street - from the city garden to Novokuznechnaya Street, and along Ekaterininskaya Street (now Mira Street) - to the railway station. The first streetcar depot was located on Ekaterininskaya st., where the rolling stock repair shops are now.

In April 1912 began operating a streetcar line to Pashkovskaya village, which was built by the "First Russian Association of motor-electric streetcar Yekaterinodar - Pashkovskaya". Initially, the line was served by cars with kerosene engines. In 1914-1915 the line was also electrified.

With the establishment of Soviet power in the city, the company servicing the streetcar network was nationalized and merged with the water-electric station into the Vodeltram trust[4]. In 1932 the trust was named Kraseltram and gained economic independence.

In 1930s, the old rolling stock, consisting of MAN cars, began to be replaced by cars of X and M series. In 1934-1938, most of the city streetcar lines were reassembled on broad gauge. Streetcar lines were given numbers, each route was assigned a certain color. In 1938, "Kraseltram" trust was renamed "Gortramvay".

During the Great Patriotic War, tramway network was badly damaged by bombing, dismantling of sleeper rail by the German occupants. During the retreat, German troops blew up the depot, car repair shops and a diesel power plant[4].

After the war, city residents participated in the restoration of the city tramway. In addition to the restoration of pre-war tracks, new routes appeared along Kalinina and Kalyaeva Streets, to the meat processing plant and the worsted textile and cloth factory. In 1948-1949, the Pashkovsky tramway line was reset to a wide track, and in 1950, the last section of the city network was reset to a wide track[5].

In 1950, the Directorate of streetcars and trolleybuses, which became the Krasnodar Tram and Trolleybus Trust on December 1, was formed on the basis of Gortramvay. In 1952 the trust was renamed the Krasnodar Tram and Trolleybus Administration (KTTU).

In the 1960s, streetcar tracks appeared on Titarovskaya, Voronezhskaya, Slavyanskaya, Stasova, and Moskovskaya streets. A large-scale reconstruction of streetcar infrastructure began: reinforced-concrete sleepers, longitudinal-chain (high-speed) suspension of the contact network, welding and grinding of rail joints to create a softer ride for cars were used on a mass scale instead of old wooden ones.

In the 1970s automatic switches began to be introduced, new rolling stock (71-605 and Tatra T3SU model cars) appeared. In a short time obsolete two-axle streetcars were decommissioned[6]. In 1982, a streetcar line was extended to the Komsomolsky Microdistrict to Tyulyaeva Street. In 1986, 37 new model 71-605 cars (KTM-5M3) were delivered to the city.

In 1994, the streetcar line to the Jubilee microdistrict started operating. In 1998, the turning circle on Sadovaya Street was connected to the branch line on Krasnye Zorya Street over the Sadovoe Bridge over the railroad. In 2008, the turning ring was dismantled.

In 2020, 87 cars of 71-623 series of various modifications, 4 cars of 71-631 series, and one car of 71-931 "Vityaz" series were purchased under the rolling stock renovation program.

Routes

Existing streetcar routes

Route # Route terminals Stops

1 Dekabristov Street Railway station Krasnodar I

2 Ulitsa Dekabristov Ulitsa Industrialnaya

3 West streetcar depot on Ulitsa Dekabristov

4 Komsomolsky microdistrict, Industrialnaya Street

5 Ulitsa Solnechnaya Bershanskaya Street

6 Jubilee microdistrict Dimitrova Street

7 Zapadnoe streetcar depot Dimitrova St.

8 Ulitsa Solnechnaya (to be extended to P. Metalnikova Street) Khladokombinat

9 Khladokombinat Bershanskaya Street

10 Komsomolsky microdistrict

11 Jubilee microdistrict Krasnodar I Railway station

12 Eastern streetcar depot Dimitrova street (roundabout)

15 Ulitsa Solnechnaya (to be extended to P.Metalnikova Ulitsa) Krasnodar-I Railway Station

20 Dekabristov Street Khladokombinat

21 Ulitsa Solnechnaya (to be extended to P.Metalnikova Street) Yubileiny microdistrict

22 Ulitsa Solnechnaya (to be extended to P.Metalnikova Street) Ulitsa Dimitrova