The best to be shown

Samara city met the assembly participants with 36ºC heat. But the facilities that were shown to the Heads of railroads were not only hot because of sun, but also, because of heated interest to the demonstrated advanced technologies.

Samara station was the first location visited by the delegates. The scope and quality of services rendered by the station meet all international standards. “A passenger shall feel not only comfortable at a station, but also safe, – noted the Head of Kuybishevskaya railway station, Mr Andrey Komarovskiy. – For this purpose the station is fitted with equipment detecting banned items or substances in baggage, as well as 157 video cameras for online monitoring of the situation”.

After the security system presentation, Managers of the company and Heads of railroads visited the church in honour of Smolensk Icon of the God Mother which was opened on the territory of the stations several years ago.

The guests then passed on to an exposition showing perspectives of intermodal transportation and transport-logistic services in the Samara region. Hosts of the meeting also presented a project for an “Urban electric train” transfer hub based in Samara station and near-by territories.

The assembly participants went by a rail bus from the station to Samara passenger depot to open a wagon washing complex reconstructed by Wagon-Service JSC. The President of RZD OJSC Mr Vladimir Yakunin, the Governer of the Samara region, Mr Nikolay Merkushkin, the General Director of FPC OJSC, Mr. Mihail Akulov and the President of Wagon-Service JSC. Mr Yoram Ben-Israel pressed the symbolic Start button together. As the locomotive horn sounded, a train consisting of three carriages and a diesel locomotive entered the washing complex. In nine minutes, clean carriages went out of the washing complex.

Mr Yoram Ben-Israel spoke about operational principles of the complex. At first warm water and acid-based solutions are applied, then hot water and alkaline-based solutions. The complex is all-season, it can wash carriages at the temperature down to -20ºC. Its rated capacity is at least 20 train sets per day.

The washing complex is the first investment project realised by Wagon-Service JSC in Russia with the support of RZD and FPC. Wagon-Service plans to invest around 4.3 bln RUB in modernisation of passenger, locomotive and motor-coach infrastructure by 2016. “The investment liabilities will be fulfilled to the last kopeck”, – assured Mr Yoram Ben-Israel.

The next location visited by the assembly participants was Bezimyanka motor-car depot, where lean production system was introduced and is actively used. Effectiveness of repair management increased from 46.6% up to 75.9% over two years.

The guests watched latest developments of domestic manufacturers of railway and diagnostic machinery – freight letuchka based on KamAZ, fully equipped with railway current-maintenance equipment and a complex for railway repair works on a combined drive. The latest is built on UAZ Patriot pick-up car and can quickly deliver to an accident site a brigade of 5-7 people off-road, by road or by railroad.

A lubricator carriage also drew interest. Its oiling for rails’ lubrication is enough for 5 000 km. A similar carriage also operates on the Northern railroad and, according to its Head, Mr Vasiliy Biloha, it has proved itself well.

The Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Mr Maxim Sokolov joined the assembly participants on the second day. After the meeting on development of transport in Privolzhskiy federal district the assembly participants visited Railway traffic management centre of Kuybishevskaya railroad. Here new technologies of transportation management process were demonstrated to the guests. Computer workstations for dispatchers working for Locomotive Resources Management Centres and operators working for Infrastructure Management Centres allow not only prompt management of transportation within Chelyabinsk-Pybnoye bounds, but also detecting pre-failure condition of equipment at any road section. Head of Kuybishevskaya Traffic Management Directory, Mr Vladimin Kutumov said that it offers the possibility to coordinate interaction between traffic, locomotive and infrastructure directories.