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32Russian Journal of Logistics and Transport Management, Vol.2, No. 2, 2015
© Eleonora V. Shabarova
Petersburg State Transport University
RAIL TRANSPORT IN KALININGRAD - THE CITY OF
2018 WORLD CUP
Abstract
The theme and purpose of the publication have been formulated on the ground of the problem of the maximum usage of the existing rail network to serve 2018 World Cup in Kaliningrad and mitigate the transport crisis in the most Russian cities. For this to happen, it is required to determine the way of the organization and operation of comparatively short rapid transportations of urban and suburban-urban passengers by railways in the public trains of the S-Bahn type (Stadtschnellbahn), primarily in the connections between the city and the airport. By doing so, it also is possible to solve the acute problem for Russia, concerning the increase of the efficiency of commuter rail and non-removal of hundreds of commuter trains. The basis of this publication is the author's participation in the informal examination of the transportation system in Kaliningrad, as well as the development, on the stage of the feasibility study, of transport concept of the General Plan of Kaliningrad for 2018-2035.
Keywords: integrated and intelligent transport system, implementation, innovation, passenger logistics, off-street urban transport, rapid urban railway (S-Bahn), low-floor tram (LFT).
1. Introduction
At the end of 2015, only in two cities of the eleven, the stadiums are ready for the game, and only the transport infrastructure of Moscow is ready to receive flows of thousands of participants, spectators, and fans at airports and train stations, and deliver them in a relatively comfortable way to any part of the capital, without disrupting the normal rhythm of life of citizens.
What is the stance in of the other cities-participants of 2018 World Cup? It was started an emergency project development, including the urban master plans and specific sports facilities and transport infrastructure. Afterward, difficult construction process will begin in the circumstances of a lack of the investments, time, and expertise. In this regard, pertinent to note about the non-complete history of the reconstruction of the former Kirov Stadium 'Zenit' on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg or the project development of six alternatives for the direct connection between the city and Pulkovo airport. Since then, a few things have changed. Will it be possible to accomplish other projects by 2018? Of course, it will, as it was made in Sochi, Vladivostok, and Kazan. However, what efforts were required? There was some increase in the estimated cost of facilities, as well as problems with construction quality. Examples would be 'crawled' expressway from the airport Knevichi, valued at 19 billion Roubles
and built for the summit of the Asia-Pacific region on the island of Russian, as well as twice overflowed in Sochi due to unfinished storm water in a hurry.
The option of relieving the force majeure, apart from the rapid execution of works, would be a maximum use of the existing transport network, especially rail, on the basis of innovative modernization and modern technology implementation. The most favorable situation for the use of existing transport infrastructure, and hence a potential availability of transport for 2018 World Cup has Kaliningrad, which has received from the German Königsberg a developed rail network. This network the city administration did not destruct for 70 years in the favor for the development roads. However, even here all is not well: the developed and approved in 2006 a master plan began immediately remade since September 2014. The cheapest option among the contestants' designers (e.g., NGO 'Center of South Urban Development') has been chosen. However, in September 2015, the new master plan for the period 2015-20335 was lying on the tables of the city administration. Moreover, the final recommendations of its road-automobile-oriented development of the city substituted the rational and pragmatic, but innovative rail concepts.
2. Objectives of the transport infrastructure in the General Plan of Kaliningrad (2015-2018-2030)
The objectives are determined by a socio-economic mission of Kaliningrad as a city for a comfortable life and work, as well as effective business, transport, logistics, tourism, sport, and educational center of the state and European level. Additionally, it was considered as a platform for communication and cooperation between Russia and Europe, provided a comprehensive solution to environmental problems, including carrying out activities to preserve green areas and nature protection.
The objectives of the transport complex include the following positions (Shabarova, 2014):
- Intermodal transit-orientation on the basis of international transport corridors,
- Absolute priority of public passenger transport,
- Renovation of the suburban railway and the integration of intercity sections in the high-speed off-street rail,
- Minimization of the negative impacts of transport, primarily due to the reduction of vehicles on the plan structure and the natural, and built environment.
In development of the Master Plan following requirements to transport from FIFA to World Cup was taken into account:
1. Providing the entrance to the stadium 'Baltic', railway stations of North and South, the airport Khrabrovo, hotels, and training bases, to fan zones with sufficient capacity of roads, bicycle, and pedestrian paths;
2. The organization of dedicated lanes for accredited vehicles on the routes;
3. The possibility of splitting the fans at differentiated routes;
4. Creation of the automated traffic control systems, including reverse;
5. Use of low-floor fleet with low emissions and noise;
6. Convenient location and sufficient capacity of parking lots for the participants;
7. An effective system of traffic signs in both languages.
To achieve the goal, it is important to harmonize with international standards the existing transport infrastructure based on innovative modernization; to create a modern transport and logistics complex Hi-Tech with an advantageous development of rail transport for freight and passenger traffic, ensuring the priority of public transport. From the perspective of a systematic methodology, the solving of transport problems was divided into three levels:
Macro level, regarding Kaliningrad as intermodal transport logistics center of the Russian Baltic (regional and external traffic) in the Baltic region, including 11 countries;
Mega level, considering the town as the center of the enclave (regional, commuter, and intercity transport);
Micro level, estimating Kaliningrad as the city of 2018 Games and implying that public transport, taxi, bicycle, car, and pedestrian alley are servicing a maximum peak loading (Shabarova, 2002; Shabarova, 2014).
3. Analysis of the current state of transport
The starting point of the analysis should be some general information about the city (Shabarova, 1986), influencing the formation of the transport infrastructure for 2018 World Cup:
- Age of the city - since 1255, implying the necessity to save the historic structure;
- Territory - 223.3 km , which requires a dense network of transport;
- The city's population - 433.5 thousand people, meaning that this is a mid-sized city that requires the maximum development of rail transport (tram), but not the metro;
- Number of employees - 203 thousand people with the pronounced unevenness of the daily passenger traffic of labor forces;
- The number of economic entities - 34101 units, including 2979 industrial enterprises of transport (8.7%) that are located remotely within the city, which requires the branched network of transportation systems;
- The growth of migration -7.6 thousand persons/year, which stands for the need for the development of external transport;
- The number of joint ventures - about two thousand, including 810 with foreign participation from 62 countries. This situation requires the development of intermodal transport;
- Foreign trade turnover (2012) -11.6 billion USD, import - 4.7 billion USD, export - 1.4 billion USD.
The solution of the tasks mentioned above is facilitated by a favorable economic and geographic position of city: distance to Moscow - 1130 km, St. Petersburg - 970km, Pskov - 800 km; Gdansk - 160 km; Gdynia - 188 km; Vilnius - 350 km; Riga - 390km, Warsaw - 400 km, Minsk - 550 km, Berlin -600 km, Stockholm - 650km, and Copenhagen - 680km. Additionally, the investments in the organization of transport in 2012 amounted to 3.3 billion Roubles or 23.4% of the total sum. The paid shuttle services to the population equaled 1.05 billion Roubles of the total volume of 2.72 billion Roubles. The last, but not least important is the level of globalization of transportation systems of Kaliningrad and the Baltic states, as well as the ease of business organization that is above the average Russian level, but lower than in the EU.
4. Characteristics of external transport
The external transport of Kaliningrad is characterized by the differentiated branching of the transport links, as well as their co-location with the transport networks of the neighboring countries. This region of Russia includes three international transport corridors. All of these aspects represent the main preconditions for the development of transport and transit business even within the enclave. It should be noted that the area of Kaliningrad region has the densest network in Russia, applicable for the development of transit, intermodal transport (freight and passenger). The international transport corridors (ITC) include:
1. Cretan ITC: I, IA (ViaBaltika), IXB and IXD (ViaGanzeatika: rail and road version in Lithuania (Latvia and Belarus), and Poland (Germany).
2. The Baltic ITC: St. Petersburg - Ust-Luga- Baltiysk- Sassnitz (ferry-sea version).
3. Scandinavian ITC: Baltic-Karlskrona (ferry-sea version) in Sweden.
The existing network of ITC has prospects for the development by joining to the following corridors: Norwegian chord and 'Danish arc'; East-West and Rail Baltica, the European 'green clean GGP', as well as through the participation in system of intermodal container train 'Viking' (40 thousand TEU through Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, which is considered as the best project in Europe, E-2009, 'Vilnius SHUTTLE' to Klaipeda (800 thousand TEU), and 'Klaipeda-Kaliningrad-Moscow' (1347 km, 1100 TEU/year, 350 TEU per month). The main mode of transport in them is the railway. Rail transport.
The length of the Kaliningrad Railways is 756 km. The main specific characteristic is the presence of a double-track network of 1432 mm and 1520 mm, as well as a developed network of stations, stopping points and platforms. The specific of Kaliningrad Railways is its main utilization for unloading. The processing volume of the export-import cargo of the total turnover equals 85%. The main cargo is oil and petroleum products, whose share is 50%, ferrous metals - 16%, fertilizers - 6%, timber - 5%, coke, construction materials, coal -4%. The main volume of cargo is transshipped through sea border crossings at stations Kaliningrad, Baltiysk, and Baltiysky Les. International passenger traffic is carried out with Germany, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, while the long distance passenger traffic is organized in 4 directions - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, and Adler (over 250 thousand passengers per year).
Train travels in the urban district are served by two stations of the North and South. Both train stations are the transit and interconnected, including the tunnel section in the city center. Kaliningrad-North station serves the trains, connecting the resorts of Kaliningrad region Zelenogradsk, Svetlogorsk, and Pioneersk. The master station Kaliningrad-Passenger, which is of high European level, but not fully utilizes its capacity, serves long-distance trains and commuter trains. According to the Kaliningrad Railways, in 2013, the volume of passengers in long-distance traffic achieved 212 thousand people. Sea transport
There is an ice-free port of Kaliningrad with the turnover of 13-19 million tonnes, 200 thousand TEU container or 5% of the Baltic ports), two sea ports in the city (commercial and fishing) with six terminals for oil products and two terminals for grain goods. Ports in the region include Baltiysk (approximately 10 million tonnes), Svetly, and Primorsk. The ferry service is organized between German port of Sassnitz, Ust-Luga, and St. Petersburg (line Baltiysk - Ust-Luga and Baltiysk - Sassnitz). Channelized river transport is represented by rivers Pregolya, Deima, Polesskiy channel, Matrosovka, and Neman. There are also projects: Lava, Masursky Canal, West continuation of Neman to the village Morskoe, as well as the draft of the organization of shipping in the Kurshsky Bay). The two parking lots of small boats and yachts 'Marina Kaliningrad' also exist.
Road transport
The European-developed road network is used for freight traffic (1.8 million tonnes, 126.1 million tonne-km, with an average length of haul of 1 tonne -700 km); passenger transportation with regular bus connections with Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Baltic States, and Belarus. There are two international bus stations. In 2014, the total number of the vehicles was 176,924 units, the level of motorization: 325 vehicles/1000 inhabitants (almost as in St. Petersburg and Sochi). The dominance of the bus and private transport leads to congestion, so the priority is given to the construction of a road building overpasses across the tracks, bridges over the rivers Old and New Pregolya,
multi-level interchanges, which are also built on the approaches to the airport in
Khrabrovo.
Air transport
It is represented by Khrabrovo airport, which serves 12 airlines (Aeroflot, Russia, Siberia, North, UTair, SkyExpress, LOT, BelAvia, Gomelavia, Aerosvit, Airways, and Air Baltic), providing connections with more than 30 countries. In the structure of air transport, Moscow direction is dominated by (70 flights a week), St Petersburg (27 flights per week), and Minsk (12 flights per week). The rest of the communication is occasionally organized. In international traffic, the best connections are provided with Berlin - 7 flights per week. The annual volume of 2013/2014 amounted to 1428.28 thousand passengers. Income from the airport in 2013 reached 926.4 million Roubles, profit - 82.0 million Roubles. For 2018 World Cup, the reconstruction of the airport complex was provided. The deliveries of passengers are carried by road: bus routes and taxis from the South train station. The carrying capacity equals 6 thousand passengers per day; journey time is 40 minutes. It was also organized the route 'Svetlogorsk-Airport'. The journey by taxi and car is approximately 20-30 minutes. On the whole, in Kaliningrad, there are 26 border crossing points, of which 20 are used, including six by sea and river; eight by auto, four by rail, and two by air. An intensive utilization of borders crossing points is sported with the Lithuanian and Polish (3.5 million of people per year), while the passage of visa-free and transit passengers equals 5 thousand persons/day.
5. Suburban railway and its modernization
Due to the enclave location of the region and lack of use of the railway network in the external relations, rail transport in intra-oblast and suburban connections becomes of particular importance (Kaliningrad Suburban Passenger Company, 2015).
The transportation of passengers is provided by 'Kaliningrad Suburban Passenger Company' on the following routes:
1. Kaliningrad - Svetlogorsk through Pereslavskoye: 46 km (single-track section), nine stations, three stopping points, six junction stations (New, Kutuzova, Brandy, Zelenogradsk, Pioneersk Resort, and Svetlogorsk-2). Travel time is 1 hour.
2. Kaliningrad - Svetlogorsk through Zelenogradsk: 57 km (single track section), eight stations, nine stopping points, five junction stations (Chkalovsk, Druzhnoe, Kolosovka, Pereslavskoye, Pioneersk Resort, Svetlogorsk-1). Travel time is 42 minutes with 15 minutes for stopping.
3. Kaliningrad - Baltiysk: 47 km (single-track section), five stations, nine stopping points, three junction stations (Novy Zapadny, Lesnoe Novoe, Shipovka). Travel time equals 1 hour 7 minutes.
4. Kaliningrad - Mamonovo: 50 km (single-track section), four stations, ten stopping points, two junction stations (Golubeva, Ladushki). Travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes.
5. Kaliningrad - stopping point Strelna - Bagrationovsk: 22 km (double track section with 14 km of the single-track section), four stations, seven stopping points, two junction stations. Travel time to Strelna is 40minutes.
6. Kaliningrad - Chernyakhovsk - Nesterov: 90 km (single-track section with 51 km of double track section), ten stations, three stopping points, six siding stations. Travel time is 2 hours 33 minutes.
7. Kaliningrad - Sovetsk through Polessk: 125 km (single-track section), eight stations, eleven stopping points, one junction station (Polessk). Travel time equals 2 hours 18 minutes.
According to the Kaliningrad Railways, in 2013, the volume of commuters passengers achieved 1.2 million people. Since May, 2014, the intraurban rail bus produced by Uralvagonzavod was organized in the direction to stopping point Kievskaya. The volume of traffic on since April until July 2014, was more than 35 thousand passengers, which means that, per year, approximately 150-200 thousand passengers could be transported, allowing to facilitate the work of public ground transport. This connection was provided by discussions and comparisons with the German experience. Two factors contributed to the realization of the project: 1) comfortable layout of South Station and 2) the existing tunnel under the city's main square of the city, which separates off-street transport from land transport at the busiest point of Victory Square. However, the possibility of this route (e.g., in releasing the overpass across the tracks near station Kaliningrad Sortirovochnaya from car traffic jams) is still underutilized. Erroneously, the tramway was dismantled. Moreover, on the route, there is only the three pair of trains for working people per day is provided. Meanwhile, there is the lack of trains in the daytime for the return of students from classes and other various domestic trips.
On the contrary, the convenient for passengers and effective practical system of S-Bahn-Kaliningrad, which some residents still remember it before the war, should have intervals of not more than 30 minutes, and during peak hours of 7-10 minutes. Besides, it is necessary to develop its route network, especially in all areas of the city. First of all, that is the sites that are close to the future Olympic stadium 'Baltika' and on the way to the airport Khrabrovo (Shabarova, 1986). The current plans for construction and reconstruction of railway stations of Kaliningrad Railways include the following projects: the rebuilding of the station Lesnoe Novoe during 2015-2016, the freight yard of Kaliningrad Sortirovochnaya station in 2015-2018; and the construction of terminal and logistics center at the station Dzerzhinskya Novaya in 2016-2018. Of particular importance in the modernization of the Kaliningrad Railways renovation became the organization of the direct rail connection ' city-airport'(S-Bahn).
The international airport Khrabrovo encapsulates two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal, which handles 50 tonnes of cargo per day. Regulatory capacity of the airport is 5 million passengers and 6 thousand tonnes of cargo per year. According to the schedule of the airport website, in the winter 2014/2015, the transportation was carried out tolO destinations, with an average of 128 flights per week. During the summer season, additional flights were added to popular resorts. By 2018, the capacity of the airport will be 1,150 Passengers/hour or 1.3 million passengers per year. The airport is connected with the city by four-lane highway, which is an offshoot of the so-called. 'Baltic Ring'. Unfortunately, car delivery method will be saved in 2018, provided the substantial rehabilitation of roads and interchanges on the approaches to airports. The delivery of passengers from North and South stations to the stadium 'Baltika' on the island of Oktyabrsky is planned by road in buses, with the partial insertion of trolleybus routes.
6. Projects of transport service in 2018
According to Research and Design Institute of Regional Development and Transportation (2014), the volume of arrival of spectators and participants in 2018 World Cup to Kaliningrad is as follows: by air transport - 60-70%, by rail - 20%, by the international buses - 10%, and by passenger cars - 10%. In assessing the arrival of the spectators and participants by air, foreign citizens will make up about 13 thousand persons (60%), while the Russian people, which are non-residents of the city, will be about 15 thousand persons (70%). Additional passengers during the game will comprise 20% of the capacity of the stadium 'Baltika'. That is 35 thousand persons or 35 aircraft with a total number of takeoffs and landings equaled to 70. Meanwhile, the world practice knows that every game of football World Cup adds about 250 take-offs and landings. The Research and Design Institute of Regional Development and Transportation also proposed the departure of competitors from Kaliningrad by the following scheme: by rail is to 20%, by buses - 40%, and by passenger cars - 40%. Both assumptions correspond with the developed by Research Institute of Vehicles (2015) typical transport scheme of arrival and departure of intermodal passengers to the city of the Games, reaffirming the continuing need in the development of intermodal transport in the western enclave (Shabarova, 2002).
The basic version of delivering passengers to the city to sports facilities, fan zones and hotels, according to Research and Design Institute of Regional Development and Transportation (2014), is a motor transport: bus (intercity, express, contract, and shuttle), taxi and passenger cars (for VIP levels of T-l, T-2, and T-3). The design recommendations state that Kaliningrad residents will be arriving at 2018 World Cup games by public transport - 45%, by passenger cars - 40%, and on foot - 15%. That exacerbates the characteristic of
Kaliningrad erroneous distribution of functions between transportation modes and low quality of the organization of integrated land transport infrastructure (mainly trams).
The primitive approach to the organization of public transport persists both in real life and in the various projects. Proof for this was not only the preliminary scheme of transport development in Kaliningrad on 2018 at the stage of the master plan - feasibility study, but also the final version of the general plan of the city district Kaliningrad on 2015-2035 (NGO 'Center of South Urban Development', 2015). It should be noted that other alternatives were considered as the main mode of transport (e.g., string transport, low-floor trams and light rail transport). However, they were at the wrong time and the place, and, therefore, just mentioned in that publications.
The diagrams of the transport system organization show a wrong attitude to the development of the main rail transport in towns, i.e. the tram, which has in terms of Kaliningrad a greatest carrying capacity and better environmental performance. For the comparison, the tram network of Koenigsberg in 1938 was connected to the station, the stopping points, and passenger platforms in the city. Moreover, the tram line was even on Kant Island near the projected fan zone of 2018.
Nowadays and for the projected 2035, Königsberg tram remained only in the form two routes. A parallel grid of streets of the city and duplication of routes creates a distinct advantage for the creation of differentiated tram system that can take on about 70% of transportation work. The recommended concept of the author in 2014 was a so-called 'tandem' of rapid urban railways based on the existing intercity rail, which was known formally as the Koenigsberg S-Bahn, and tram network by the innovative modernization of the existing transport infrastructure with minimal new construction works. The proposal of the author, however, was partially taken into account by developers of the general plan of Kaliningrad for 2018-2035 (NGO 'Center of South Urban Development', 2015). Meanwhile, in the final version of the document, there is not even a reference to the given text and diagrams designed by the author.
7. What is the situation in Kaliningrad at the end of January 2016?
On the ground of the official website of the administration of the city and region (Government of the Kaliningrad region, 2015; City District Administration of 'City of Kaliningrad', 2015) the following information has been collected. It should be mentioned that the operational headquarters was set up to coordinate the work on the island, as well as to develop rules of interaction with all services and builders to resolve immediately all the organizational issues that impede the construction process.
Stadiums, hotels, training and fan zones. The arena 'Baltica' is proposed for 35 thousand places. The Kaliningrad Stadium is located on the island
Octyabsky. Its cost is 17.3 billion Roubles. In 2016, the expenses equaled 1.85 billion Roubles from the general budget of the Organizing Committee of 2018 World Cup, which is estimated at 4 billion in 2016. The contract for the construction of the stadium with the 'Crocus Group' of Agalarov has already signed. It was started the pouring of the concrete slab foundation of the arena: 7 thousand piles have been installed from the total amount of 25 thousand piles (or 30%). Given the tight deadlines, the arena was erected in the metal. Nowadays, the metal frame is imported for the stadium. The island Octyabsky by the beginning of the games will be one of the most beautiful areas of Kaliningrad with business and social buildings, gardens, good logistics, and beautiful facades.
Training Grounds will be located at the stadium (after reconstruction), and respectively called as 'Work', 'Selma', and 'Locomotive'. The football field will be built in Svetlogorsk. Currently, the site preparation is in the pre-design stage.
Fan Zone on the central square in front of the House of the Soviets will be able to take up to 30 thousand fans (ANO 'Executive Directorate to prepare for the World Cup in the Kaliningrad region in 2018, 2015). Entrance to the fan zone is free, but for the safety reasons, the fans need to pass through the checkpoints.
Hotels. For 2018 World Cup, in Kaliningrad region and the Gvardeysky region, 5 modern hotel complexes almost with 600 rooms will be built. The hotels also will be on the Baltic coast and in the resort towns of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk
The connections 'city-airport'. It is offered to transport guests and participants of the World Cup 2018 on the trolley (ANO 'Executive Directorate to prepare for the World Cup in the Kaliningrad region in 2018, 2015) from Airport Khrabrovo to Arena. Otherwise, the region will have to buy or rent of 100-142 bus-shuttles.
Urban transport is represented by the projected transport framework (NGO 'Center of South Urban Development', 2015). The base frame is the trunk road network, which accepts the significant role of road transport in passenger transportation. That is an urban planning mistake. As mentioned above, in cities such as Kaliningrad, allowing for its age, size, population, specific planning structure, and peculiarities of mentality, the main mode of transport should be a railway. However, the transport frame so far provides the construction of 10 transport interchange nodes, the so-called 'Western prommagistrali' - the bridge over the river Pregolya and part of the Gulf, which will connect the northern and southern bypasses ring road and a new bridge over the river Pregolya. It is still not resolved the question of the arrangement of delivering passengers to the facilities of the stadium 'Locomotive', following the requirements of FIFA. The highway will become the main entrance way to the stadium located on the island. The East overpass (7.52 km) across bayous of
Staraya and Novaya Pregelya (with the cost of 4.5 billion Roubles) through the island Oktyabrsky will connect with the island not only the Artillerysky street, but also the Muromskaya street. The construction of the East overpass in 3 phases will begin in early 2016. The project is currently under examination. The funding is provided from the federal and regional budgets. It is expected that the first phase of the overpass will be built by the end of 2017.
Road transport (buses and taxis) will continue to be the main type of passenger transportation. After the games in 2018, 100-142 bus shuttles will serve the residents of Kaliningrad. For comparison, in St. Petersburg, authorities are planning to buy by 2018 112 large buses (2.3 billion Roubles); in Rostov-on-Don this year - 50 buses, which cost more than 0.3 billion Roubles, in total 300 buses will be bought).
Bike parking will be arranged for '2018 fans', coming to the match on private vehicles. In the days of the matches of the tournament, a big load on the transport systems of host cities, including Kaliningrad, is expected. Due to this fact, a single ticket for the stadium and public transportation will be provided. There are also proposals for the free travel on public transport duringl8 hours before and after the match.
Tram. It is planned, according to NGO 'Center of South Urban Development' (2015), to use a tram on the way to the new stadium on the island of Oktyabrsky in two directions. That is the existing network and through the East overpass from the side of the Moscowsky region. Ekaterinburg plant 'Uraltransmash' related to the Concern 'Uralvagonzavod' has developed a prototype of a new ultra-modern tram Russia One (Rl). The developers expect that this type of the tram will be the main one in the cities of 2018 World Cup in Russia.
By 2018, at the stops of Kaliningrad plan, the electronic bulletin boards will be installed, while the buses and trolley buses will be equipped with GPS-and GLONASS-sensors that can transmit information traffic organizer for processing. Previously, Tomsk company 'Elesi' voiced plans, according to which, the public transport, places of the mass arrival of people (e.g., stops, railway stations, parks, etc.) in the cities of 2018 World Cup, could be equipped infotainment helpdesks.
Fare. The prime Minister signed a decree on the transfer of powers to the Ministry of Transport to organize free travel of fans between 11 host cities in the long-distance trains in reserved seats and general coaches. Fans, having a ticket to the World Cup 2018, will be able to use any mode of transport. That statement applies to both long-distance and any mode of transport within cities. For long-distance travel, it will be required to reserve a place, using a special application.
8. Conclusions
Conceptually, the recommended version of the organization of the passenger transportation in Kaliningrad - the city of World Cup 2018 is by the direct highspeed trains that can be realized on the basis of innovative modernization of the existing site and its connection with the developed mainline of railways and rail network in the city in the form of urban rapid railway as S-Bahn type.
That begs the question: 'Whether such a modernized but still so powerful rail transport is needed in Kaliningrad - a city of medium size, with a dense and parallel grid of streets, convenient overlapping with land transport routes of bus, trolley, and tram?' To find the right answer, it is required to consider the three preliminary questions:
1. Do street and road network cope with the actual load of public land transport and with any prospective passenger traffic?
2. What is the environmental impact of burgeoning automobile carriage of all kinds?
3. How to ensure delivery of the participants and spectators of 2018 World Cup?
The answer to the first question is 'No'. Maximum flow at rush hour on public transport in the section avenues, such as Leningradsky equals to 15-16 thousand persons, Mira and Moscowsky reach 5 thousand persons, and in connection with the Baltic region are 8 thousand persons. These figures are far exceeding the recommended values for providing the dedicated lanes for public transport. In this regard, a rail-tram system is required, for which there is the basic foundation in form of the German legacy in the city exist;
The second answer is obvious. The contribution of road transport to environmental pollution has increased from 37.7% to 84.6%, in 2009. The third answer is the proposed system of rail transport in the form of an extensive network of urban railway and the tram that is based on the usage of existing sites. That will allow applying a phased strategy of projects development that does not require a huge initial investment, which the state does not have, and private investors do not like to give, calling them 'long money' with the indefinite long payback period. The advantage of this strategy is also in the organization of the design process without multivariate force majeure with the hard for corrections errors. It is flexible enough to adjust the individual blocks of the project online. Moreover, it is worth noting that the half of the bridge cannot be put into operation, while every new kilometer of rail improves services of citizens and visitors.
This proposal is the best way, concerning implementation, the cost of construction, the volume of traffic, the amount of time spend in passenger traffic, the fare, travel, and comfort parameters. The railways are preferable due to the following aspects:
- Reliable in complying with timetables and comfortable for the passengers because of comfortable cabin.
- Rapid not only for technical capabilities, but also thanks to its separation from the rest of the transport stream without the need for the organizing of bands of alienation for public transport that are not respected in Russia and unrealistic in Kaliningrad due to the historical narrowness of the streets.
- Cheap in regard of on the long-term operating costs.
- Clean.
It appears that the suggestions of the author not only meet the problem of the provision of transport services for 2018 World Cup, but also the entire Kaliningrad for years to come. However, this project no one does (Shabarova, 1986; Shabarova, 2014). Suggestions have been partly taken into account in the descriptive project of the General Plan for 2015-2035, which was presented by the administration of Kaliningrad, in September 2015. Once again a real opportunity to solve the transport problem by reliable, cheaper and more environmentally friendly rail transport was lost.
References
ANO 'Executive Directorate to prepare for the World Cup in the Kaliningrad region in 2018 (2015). News of World Cup -2018. Available at URL: http://kgd2018.ru/ Retrieved: 30.11.2015.
City District Administration of 'City of Kaliningrad' (2015). Economy. Available at URL:
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