Elektrichka

ER9 elektrichka in Murom

Elektrichka (Russian: электричка, Ukrainian: електри́чка, elektrychka) is an informal word for elektropoyezd (Russian: электропо́езд, Ukrainian: електропо́їзд, електропотяг), a Soviet or post-Soviet regional (mostly suburban) electrical multiple unit passenger train. Elektrichkas are widespread in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union. In 2007, 4085 commuter trains a day (in each direction) were running on the Russian Railways network alone, most of them electric. The first elektrichka ran on July 6, 1926 along the Baku–Sabunchi line in Azerbaijan.

Technology

Interior of old EMU, with wooden seats

An elektrichka is an overhead line-fed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train, usually consisting of 6 to 14 cars with a driver's cab at both ends. The elektrichka's crew consists of a driver and an assistant driver. The trains were manufactured at the Riga Wagon Plant in Latvia, and bore the "ER" (elektropoezd rizhskiy; Cyrillic: ЭР, электропоезд рижский) model designation. The company had monopolized the market since the 1950s.^{[citation needed]} The most popular elektrichkas are the ER-2 (Russian: ЭР-2) and ER-9 (Russian: ЭР-9) (using DC and AC traction respectively), and their variants and successors.

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 pantographs on their roofs. Not every car is equipped with toilets; on some trains there are as few as two per train, near the driver's cab. Each car has four automatic doors, two on each side. When the train stops, doors on the platform side open simultaneously. Doors may be equipped with stairs, to allow for low station platforms. The doors are narrower than in metro trains.

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 existing 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. In the Moscow area "Sputnik" trains were introduced for express urban lines, with the technical foundation of an ER-2 but intended for a more working-class ridership. An elektrichka is bare-bones transportation with simple benches (each seating three) next to the windows.

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 operators employed. However, neither elektrichkas nor their crews return to a depot every day; instead, they are assigned to the end stations of the routes.

The relsovyi avtobus (Russian: ре́льсовый авто́бус or "railbus"), or dizelnyi poezd (Russian: ди́зельный по́езд, "diesel train"; colloquially, dizel Russian: ди́зель or motovoz, Russian: мотово́з) is a Soviet-type commuter train similar to the elektrichka. Technically, it is a diesel railcar (or multiple unit train) of two or four cars, or a single passenger car hauled by a small diesel locomotive. Such trains are less widespread, however, since the majority of track on Soviet railroads has been electrified.^{[citation needed]}

Regional details

Russia

Elektrichkas for Russian Railways are manufactured in Demikhovo, Moscow Oblast. The trains link Moscow with its outskirts and with its surrounding cities, including Tula, Tver, Ryazan, Vladimir and Kolomna. Much of the countryside through which they pass is scenic. A variety of vendors and beggars ride the Russian elektrichkas. The outdoor stations are unclean, particularly the sheltered areas near the train entrances, but the elektrichka is an indispensable mode of transportation in Russia.

Ukraine

EPL2T-010 (Luhansk-Donetsk) elektrichka at Luhansk station

Ukraine, possessing a dense network of electrified railways, is supporting and developing its elektrichka system, officially known as elektropoyizd in the Ukrainian language. As of May 2010, there is no region of the country not covered by elektrichka service except the Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions (which do not have electrified railways and use diesel trains). A typical elektrichka route is around 100 km (62 mi) in length and has stops every 5–10 km (3–6 mi) (about 3½ hours' travel time each way). It is possible to travel across the country by changing elektrichka trains two or three times. Tickets can be inexpensive, although such travel is uncomfortable. Most trains collect money in the absence of a ticket.^{[citation needed]} It is possible to travel for free when, at a stop, one exits the car where fares are being collected and goes to one where fares have already been collected.

Many Ukrainian elektrichkas are evolving into inter-city services. There are new direct lines such as the Kiev-Rivne route, which is about 300 km (186 mi) long. This rail service is a cross between an elektrichka and a traditional train with sleeping cars. Such new trains have an increased level of comfort, with fewer stops. The longest routes for these more-comfortable elektrichkas are Zaporizhya–Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk–Simferopol, Odessa–Khmelnitskiy, Odessa–Vinnitsya, Odessa–Kirovograd, Kiev–Lutsk, Kiev–Khmelnitskiy and Kiev–Shostka, Lviv–Rivne and Lviv–Ternopil.

Ukrainian railways is capable of producing its own elektrichkas, but such efforts are limited by the unprofitability of the service. The only success has been a modernization of Riga trains undertaken by local companies. However, the elektrichka line in Debaltseve area is reported to be served by Ukrainian-made trains.^{[citation needed]} Ukrainian elektrichkas are now produced in Lugansk, at the Luhanskteplovoz plant. New elektrichkas feature premium services like bar and children's cars, but they are only available on major routes. The largest elektrichka depot in Ukraine, serving Kiev and the surrounding oblasts, is situated in Fastiv.

In Kiev, since 2011, conventional elektrychka trains serve the pioneering municipal rail service, the Kiev Urban Electric Train. Economically, the project differs from traditional elektrychkas significantly.

Latvia

See also: Latvian Railways

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. The second-largest train station in Riga (named after Soviet partisan Otomars Oškalns after World War II) was renamed Zemitāni, as it was from the 1920s to the 1940s.

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. The Riga Wagon Plant is reconstructing these trains, and is planning to manufacture new trains which would replace the elektrichkas by 2012.

Slovakia

See also: Slovak: Tatranská elektrická železnica

Električka is the Slovak word for elektrichka. The name is also used for the light electric railway Tatranská elektrická železnica (TEŽ, Tatra Electric Railway) in the Tatra Mountains, from the towns of Poprad and Starý Smokovec.

Social impact

ED4M elektrichka at Moskva-Passazhirskaya Yaroslawskaya station, Moscow

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 Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Kiev. However, traffic congestion in these areas leads to frequent delays or cancellation of trains. For this reason, passengers in these areas who can afford them often^{[citation needed]} prefer buses or marshrutkas to elektrichkas. In addition, from 1 to 5:30 am (time varies, depending on area and schedule) may be used for track maintenance or to allow high-speed trans to pass without being slowed by elektrichkas (which stop at many stations, every 1–2 km or so).

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, 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 St.Petersburg for free via five elektrichkas, with stops at Tver, Bologoe, Okulovka and Malaya Vishera. This method of travel is called yezda na sobakah (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. As of 2008, there are new trains (generally on popular routes from Moscow and St.Petersburg) which are comfortable; some are operated by private concerns 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 city and suburbs only.

In remote regions of Russia with no electrified railroads, elektrichkas and dizels are replaced by short trains of one or two passenger cars and one or two flatcars hauled by diesel locomotives. These are known as bichevoz Russian: бичевоз, "hobo train").^{[citation needed]} The flatcars are used by local hobos for free transportation. Abandoned rail tracks are sometimes used by the local population as roads. They use pionerkas (Russian: пионе́рка, a diminutive form of "pioneer"): a homemade draisine powered by a motorcycle engine.

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 song with music by David Tukhmanov and lyrics by M. Nozhkin, was popular in the Soviet Union; versions included those by Vladimir Makarov, Eduard Hil, Muslim Magomayev and Vadim Mulerman).

“

As usual you and me have been standing till late night. As usual, it was not enough. As usual, your mother called you home, and I went to the railway station. The last elektrichka ran away from me again, and once again, walking along the railtracks, I am making 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 tambour, it's chilly but at the same time warm In the tambour, 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 Soviet movies take place aboard elektrichkas; for example, the female protagonist of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears meets her love interest on an elektrichka on her way home to Moscow from a dacha. Venedikt Erofeev's novel Moskva-Petushki is based around elektrichka travel.

A joke about elektrichkas asks, "What's long, green and smells like sausage?" During the late 1980s, when long queues at food stores were common in Russia, it was common to carry large quantities of hard-to-find products from regional centers like Moscow to one's home (usually by elektrichka).

See also

• Transport in Russia
• Russian Railways
• Transportation in Ukraine
• Ukrzaliznytsia
• 101st kilometre
• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• Rail terminology
• Overhead lines
• Regional rail
• Limited-stop

External links

• (Russian) Photo gallery of elektrichkas in post-Soviet countries (sorted by model; all models, angles and liveries available with descriptions)
• (Russian) An amateur guide for elektrichka travellers & fans in the post-Soviet countries (including schedules for all national railways, travel tips, history section etc.)