The 70th anniversary of the launch of the first trolley bus was celebrated in Kazan

There were 8 trolley buses on the opening day in the capital of Tatarstan, today there are 140.

(KZN.RU, October 26, Ksenia Shvetsova). 70 years have passed since the day when the first trolleybus appeared on Kazan roads. Kazan became the 20th city in the USSR and the 10th city in the RSFSR with a trolleybus fleet, and the number of trolleybuses from the launch date to today has increased from 8 to 140 units. Denis Kalinkin, the head of the Executive Committee of the city, Andrey Egorov, the deputy minister of Transport and Road Management of the RT, Asfan Galyavov, the head of the MUP “Metroelectrotrans”, congratulated the employees on this event and also with the upcoming Day of the Employee of the Automobile and Urban Passenger Transport at the holiday in the motorcycle technical school named after A. Obydenny.

The progenitor of the tram and trolleybus traffic in the city of Kazan was a horse railway, which functioned 143 years ago. And the first trolleybus line connected the city suburbs, the Karavaevo village, with the central part of the city. On November 27, 1948, the first 8 trolleybuses took to the route. Their journey from the initial to the final stop took no more than 10-12 minutes, and there were only 2 traffic lights throughout the route. Transport service of the city was actively expanding, and soon all 7 districts of Kazan were connected by trolleybus routes.

Today, all electric vehicles in Kazan are serviced by the MUP “Metroelectrotrans”. The enterprise has 2 trolleybus depots, 1 tram depot. Electric transport annually transports about 30% of the total traffic.

The “Metroelektrotrans” employees were congratulated by Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, with a video message. “Exactly 70 years ago, a trolleybus movement was opened in Kazan. At that time, only 8 trolleybuses continued the glorious traditions of the horse railway, and today 140 trolleybuses run daily on Kazan’s routes, which carry almost 80 thousand Kazan citizens and guests of the capital every day. On behalf of all Kazan residents, I want to thank you for the work that you do with love for our city. And separately, I thank the veterans of the company who today pass on their experience to young employees and colleagues”, said I. Metshin and wished the workers successful and trouble-free work.

Andrey Egorov, the deputy minister of Transport and Roads of the RT, joined in the gratitude for the veterans, who sometimes worked in the most difficult time for the enterprise. “70 years is a significant date, an age worthy of respect. You had difficult times in the 90s, but you managed not only to preserve the enterprise, but also to develop successfully”, said A. Egorov. “With the support of the Presidential Administration of the Republic and the city, the enterprise is annually replenished with new comfortable trolley buses, trams, our metro is developing. I want to thank you for all this”.

The rolling stock of the company is indeed regularly updated. For the last 3 years, 86 new trolleybuses were purchased. Today, the oldest trolleybuses running around Kazan are the trolleys of the Trolza “Optima” model, issued in 2007. Last year, 15 new cars were purchased for the city and 70 in 2016. In total, there are 186 trolleybuses on the balance of the MUP “Metroelectrotrans”.

Since 2003, the “Metroelectrotrans” has firmly established itself in the list of leaders in the transport industry of Tatarstan. Today, it is the largest transport enterprise in the republic, which ensures uninterrupted operation of ground and underground electric transport. Such work requires professionals who are ready to responsibly perform all their tasks, noted Denis Kalinkin, the head of the Executive Committee. Today the company employs 2471 people. “Your company is one of the richest in the city, and I speak primarily about people. The team that works with kindness meets our passengers is the main value”, said D. Kalinkin and joined in congratulations on the upcoming professional holiday.

Asfan Galyavov, the director of the enterprise, congratulated his colleagues on the holiday. He wished the staff success in their work and thanked the leadership of the republic and the city for their attention to the development of electric transport in the capital of Tatarstan.

Also, Klara Tazetdinova, the deputy minister of Labor, Employment, and Social Protection of the RT, addressed the workers with words of gratitude for their professional work and congratulations.

Congratulations were accompanied by performances of various creative bands. At the end, Denis Kalinkin, Andrey Egorov, and Klara Tazetdinova presented honored employees of the enterprise with awards: medals “For Valiant Labor”, gratitude of the President of the RT and the Mayor of Kazan, distinctions “For Impeccable Service”, and diplomas.

Ildar Shakirov, the deputy chairman of the Executive Committee, Aidar Abdulkhakov, the chairman of the Committee on Transport, representatives of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts’ administration, and others also took part in the celebration.

Photo report

The 70th anniversary of the launch of the first trolleybus