In Yekaterinburg, there are too many traffic problems, so they want to solve them with a tram loop that includes a small park.
.jpg?v1659519434 "Oh, Not Nice Tram-Pam-Pam: Tram Problems Of Governor Kuyvashev")
The Forum-Group company has presented a new idea to the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, Yevgeny Kuyvashev. They want the new tram loop to have stops, a square with many trees and bushes, and bike paths. The project for this transport line has been under discussion since 2017.
The reporter from The Moscow Post in the Sverdlovsk region has understood the situation.
transport problems
The transportation company Gortrans Yekaterinburg faces the same issues every year, such as lack of profit, shortage of staff, and power outages due to debts. In 2020, the company incurred a loss of 546 million rubles.
Photo: rusprofile.ru
During the summer and autumn of 2021, EMUP “Gortrans” has been involved in several scandals. First, the suppliers cut off electricity to the Yekaterinburg trolleybuses due to a debt of more than 130 million rubles, and then there was a shortage of conductors in the municipal enterprise. Later, the power engineers initially threatened to cut off public transport again, but eventually changed their minds.
It was observed that the city has reached the limit for developing the road network. At the same time, every second resident owns a car, causing traffic jams. The only solution is to encourage residents to use public transport. However, Yekaterinburg has more than 200 trolleybuses and over 300 tram cars that are significantly worn out.
Truly, the situation is ironic because Yekaterinburg has a tram plant “Uraltransmash”, yet the city last purchased trams from it in 2018. Back then, the regional budget allocated money for five units of public transport. In 2019, Vice Mayor Alexei Bubnov mentioned that there were no funds in the budget to modernize the tram fleet.
Idea fix
Issues with public transport were becoming more significant and needed to be addressed. This is when in 2017 there were talks about creating a new line from the existing tram infrastructure to the new buildings of Solnechny.
The project proponents proposed to build a new line from the existing loop to Okruzhnaya along 2nd Novosibirskaya and Luchistaya streets, and to construct a turnaround loop at the intersection of Championsov and Luchistaya streets. At that time, the project was set to be completed by 2030, but not much progress was made for a long time.
This was despite plans to allocate over six billion rubles for building the new line and several social facilities in 2022-2023.
After a long wait, a plan for a tram loop with a small park in the Solnechny district of Yekaterinburg was presented to the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, Evgeny Kuyvashev. A certain JSC “Forum Group” is working on it.
The company was established in 2007 and has only secured three government contracts since then, totaling 75 million rubles. Interestingly, almost all of this amount was provided by the Capital Construction Department of the city of Yekaterinburg.
Photo: rusprofile.ru
The company made a miraculous revenue of 4 billion rubles in 2021. However, as of January 1, 2022, the owners of the JSC are the Cypriot Mertensia overseas limited and Daria Ponomareva. There is currently no information about the founders. Are they trying to hide something?
One way or another, the project will proceed. It is planned to be large-scale with 2 stops, 10 types of tiles, and 200 trees. The main focus is on the mini-park.
On behalf of Evgeny Kuivashev, the Sverdlovsk Region secured 1.5 billion rubles for 2022 for the construction of transport and social infrastructure in the Solnechny and Akademichesky districts, with an additional 500 million rubles from the federal budget and regional funds. While the funds are significant, it's unclear when the city residents will see the results.
The plans involve completing the first stage of the tram line by early 2024, but it's too soon to predict the outcome – it may result in nothing more than another financial exploitation.
Battle for trams
The city authorities also aim to upgrade the rolling stock, adjust fares, and establish a single traffic control center. The mayor’s office planned to transfer public electric transport to a concession.
According to Kommersant, Sinara-Transport Machines company previously mentioned potential involvement in the concession for the tram fleet renewal in Yekaterinburg. It is part of the Sinara group of Dmitry Pumpyansky and Movista Regions LLC, which is linked to Transmashholding.
If Sinara gets involved, then the residents of Yekaterinburg can certainly say goodbye to trams. The company has already disappointed not only the Moscow Metro but also Roskosmos.
However, the second company is clearly ambiguous. In 2021, Verkhnepyshminsky Tram, a subsidiary of Movista Regions LLC, entered into a concession to construct a tram line from Yekaterinburg to Verkhnyaya Pyshma for 1.9 billion rubles. Since then, there has been no news about the project's implementation.
Additionally, the Uraltransmash plant is also vying for the project, announcing its readiness to modernize the city’s trams, including within the framework of concession agreements.
As for the governor of the Sverdlovsk region Kuyvashev, Dmitry Pumpyansky, the owner of the Sinara Group of Companies, as well as other influential businessmen – Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg, Iskander Makhmudov, are named among his possible associates.
Photo: Vladimir Martyanov / oblgazeta.ru
In this scenario, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this competitive struggle and who will secure a promising position for the future.
The road construction market is considered one of the most corrupt in the Sverdlovsk region, with scandals occurring regularly. If this project fails as well, Kuyvashev will face difficulties as there is a limit to people's trust.
