Present and future of St. Petersburg trams in the context of transport accessibility of new football stadium on the Krestovsky Island. Careless removal of tramlines and closures of routes, carried out in the city since 1990-s of the 20th century, echo with renewed vigour. St. Petersburg has now to pay for the mistakes of the past, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Trams transportation system on the Krestovsky Island was closed in July 2007 . That was one of the finishing strokes in the light-rail network planned extermination in St. Petersburg, which has been taking place since mid 90-s. In that period, hundreds kilometers of tramlines were dismantled (including freight-carrying and service), the number of trams was cut down more than twice, and the number of routes was reduced from 67 in 1993 to 39 at present. In 2007 light-rail network became more or less stable. It happened to be divided into several segments connected only by service tracks. The purpose of most routes has been limited to giving a lift to passengers on their way to the metro.

Many decisions concerning tramlines dismantling were wrong. And that also refers to the closure of the tram transportation system on the Krestovsky Island. Even at that time, everybody was aware of the football stadium construction on the Krestovsky Island. The trams were dismissed with the hope that the metro station could provide two-way transportation of all the fans, though that is not right. For example, the “Sportivnaya” metro station closes after the football match on “Petrovsky” stadium is over, and the capacity of “Petrovsky” stadium is three times less than that of the new one.
What the fans will face at the new stadium can be demonstrated by the example of the last match on the Kirov Stadium played in summer 2006. There were 35,000 fans on the match, and no additional trams provided for their transportation. The number of passengers entering the “Krestovsky Island” metro station was restricted by the station schedule, so after the match was over thousands of fans, forming two heavy flows, rushed to the other stations – to Petrogradskaya Side and, through Yelagin Island, to Primorsky District. Those “lucky” car drivers just got stuck in the traffic jam for two hours. And we must bear in mind that a lot of people, foreseeing such situation, intentionally got to the stadium without cars.

The new stadium capacity will be 62,000 seats. So what awaits us? The road system of the island is not ready for the heavy traffic flow, and the stadium parking, according to the plans, is meant just for several thousands cars. The problems of transportation system on Krestovsky Island become apparent even on lovely free days, when heavy traffic jams are formed by those who drive out of the recreation park. The Lazarevsky road bridge, which recently replaced the old tram bridge can slightly solve the everyday problems, still it doesn’t help in the question of the staduim’s transport accessibility.

By the way, in 1960-1980-s of the 20th century, with the stadium capacity of 70-80,000 seats, the transport problem was solved (though there was no any metro station on the island). The tram circle on Krestovsky Island represented a small terminus which was a starting point for trams departing from several tracks to various districts of the city and to various metro stations. When the flow of fans reached its maximum, trams departed with the time interval of not more than one minute. 30,000 people could be transported within an hour. Also, for fans transportation, buses were used, though they played a secondary part. Which solution is supposed for the new stadium? That was a real riddle until recently. Additional roads construction on the island won’t help, for then the traffic jams will occur farther in the city, and besides, multilane roads in recreational park is not a good idea at all. And there will be no any connection between the Western High-Speed Diameter and the island, either. The problem cannot be solved by the metro only. However, both metro and trams usage could decide an issue.

The Committee for Transport and Transit Policy has been actively promoting its favourite project of passenger water traffic, though it is clear that water trams will not be able to transport more than several thousands people per hour. And besides, the period of canal and river navigation in the city is much shorter than the football season.

Tender

So in September the “Transport Organizer” public institution announced a tender, which name spoke for itself – “The development of working draft for construction of the bus turn platform with the necessary infrastructure, in St. Petersburg, Petrogradsky District, Krestovsky Ave. 25 (former tram circle area in the Western part of Krestovsky Island)”. According to the tender documentation, the former tram circle will be replaced by the bus turn platform. The circle is supposed to be used “in the days of mass events conducted on the Kirov Stadium, for displacement of additional rolling stock in the quantity 30 buses for providing transportation of the spectators”. The maximum cost of design works amounts to 2.74 million rubles.

In early November the competition was summarized. Three of the four participants were debared from the participation. The tender was declared invalid, and the principal (St. Petersburg state institution “Transport Organizer”) was to conclude an agreement with the only participant InTechStroy Ltd., whose offer was to carry out works for 2,730,200 rubles. The cost of works on construction of the bus platform infrastructure itself is not yet specified.

Alternatives

Accordingly, the fans are supposed to be transported from the stadium by buses. The hope for the tram line reconstruction seems to be lost. Still, let us compare some alternative solutions. The buses which are currently used by the city’s motor transport enterprises seat from 100 to 160-180 passengers (so called “accordion-pleated” buses). And the trams which are in current use in the city carry from 170 passengers (per carriage), the new trams can house up to 330 passengers. For transportation of 30,000 football fans (assume that the rest will be carried by metro), from 150 (“accordion- pleated” buses) to 300 buses are required. As for the trams, it would require from 80 to 170 of them. With all that, the trams would ride within the fixed line (on the island), the empty trams would not make traffic jams. And the empty buses (the circle is designed only for 30 buses) will cause the jams itselves, in addition to cars. The traffic jam of several hours duration is guaranteed. Plus exhaust fumes of hundreds buses and cars. Now remember the eco-friendly tram.

But… the tramlines on the island were already removed in 2007, and in 2008 they were also dismantled on Big Zelenina street (those lines were fully repaired some years before that). It is unclear now, why did they need to dismantle the lines, if it could be easier just to close the routes. The tramline reconstruction, in its old variant, seems to be pointless. Thus, it makes sense considering about a new line construction. With the use of modern tracking technologies and new trams, such project could have a lot of benefits such as, first of all, high environmental friendliness, which is very important for the park and the citizens of the island. Another variant of the new line could be the construction of a tram bridge to the Savushkina street which will be connected with the tramline passing along that street. One more variant could be the construction of the bridge to Vasilievsky Island which will be connected with the tramline on Nalichnaya street. Still, both variants mean expensive brigdes construction. The construction of high-speed trams line going from “Primorskaya” metro station on Vasilievsky Island, through Krestovsky Island to Primorsky District and some metro stations there, could be also considered as an alternative. The line could be after that extended to the Ploschad Muzhestva area. All that could form a part of the ring line connecting metro stations in new districts (a kind of overground metro). The ring line is the city’s vital need, still it is absent in St. Petersburg Metro’s plans. The transport communication between Vasilievsky Island and the northern parts of the city become better, and the metro stations on the island could be unloaded. But this is a strategic project for the city’s transport system and requires much costs and time.

For the stadium exactly, the optimal deecision could become the construction of a tramline through Petrovsky Island (or Petrogradskaya Side along Zhdanovskaya embankment) to “Sportivnaya” metro station area. Such line would be 3.5-4 kilometers long. The Bridge across Malaya Nevka river would be of a short length, and correspondingly, not very expensive and the construction wouldn’t take much time. The tram, by the fixed line, could reach the Petrovsky Stadium in 5-7 minutes, and then it could go to Vasilievsky Island and to Petrogradskaya Side (“Gorkovskaya” metro station). This project could be interesting for the new stadium’s owners, for, as far as it is known, the infrastructure is supposed to be used not just in the matchdays, that is why on those ordinary days the tram could became a very interesting route for the stadium. The lack of space for the turn platform could be solved by the use of new trams of OAO Petersburg Tram-Mechanical Plant (model 71-154), which, for such situations, are intentionally equipped with the special doors and the cabins on both sides. In ordinary days (when there are no football matches played on the stadium) the route could be served by two or three trains. The line would by no means duplicate the “Krestovsky Island” metro station, as it is more than 2 kilometers to the stadium (the metro could be used by those who wish to come to the Central Park of Culture and Leisure or to the Primorsky Park Pobedy), and the tram ring could be displaced in close vicinity to the new stadium. At present, the construction of that line is quite improbable, though the city’s Administration together with Gazprom could have cinsidered such project, for its realization would have positive effect on the stadium’s construction payback.

Tram’s coming back

The case when the tram traffic was first stopped and then restored after some time is typical for many European countries. The process of the tram traffic there has been going on for more than ten years (in St. Petersburg the tram traffic has been actively removing at that time). Now, as it often happens, the European trends are reaching our country, though behind time a bit. The Committee for Transport’s position towards trams is more impartial now than it was a few years ago. And we now have a catchword borrowed from Europe – “light-rail transport” (LRT). Actually, it denotes the same trams, but when the city’s tram transport system was closed (or there was no such at all), the new projects should be given new names. Among essential attributes of the modern European tram is a dedicated lane of traffic moving and a low floor in the carriage (or in some carriages). At that, the dedicated lane there is not that crammed with ani-tank hedgehogs, it can be separated from the main road by low kerb or simply by marking. And the car drivers never ride the tracks. The overpasses are not necessary at all, in spite of the fact that the LRT is usually imagined so. The train traffic is carried out without delays for it is regulated by an automated system, which switches the gives the green light for trains. This provides quite high speed of the trains which can be compared only with those in the metro.

On the whole, the need of the city’s Government to build new tramlines giving them such a fashionable name like LRT, is understandable. It is an easy task to construct expensive lines with the help of businessmen and investors, but to make them concern with construction of such lines is much more difficult. This reason caused the development of the “Overground express” project. Perhaps, the same reason also caused an official statement of the Governor Valentina Matvienko about the intention to conclude an agreement with the Italian holding Finmeccanica on the construction of high-speed trams plant in St. Petersburg.

Valentina Matvienko made her announcement when the Chairman of Italian Council of Ministers Silvio Berlusconi was visiting St. Petersburg in October 2009. If the plant of Ansaldo STS is constructed in St. Petersburg, the OAO Petersburg Tram-Mechanical Plant will find itself in a difficult position, while it is the main trams supplier for the state unitary enterprise Gorelektrotrans. In the year 2008 the plant produced 69 tram carriages with 56 of them for St. Petersburg. In 2009 the crisis caused the production output reduction, and St. Petersburg ordered 9 tram carriages only. Nevertheless the plant continued new carriages development, which in specification has closely reached their foreign analogues of the light-rail transport systems. Unfortunately the plant’s production is still unclaimed by the city. Two trams of model 71-154 were sent to Volgograd for the high-speed tram line (the so called Metrotram). In October 2009 the first carriage of model 71-154 was presented in Kiev for the newbuilt high-speed tram line.

High-speed tram in Piter style

The term high-speed tramline is quite conditional. According to some definitions, the essentials for such line are the isolation from the road traffic, longer interval between stations, conformably high speed, and multi-carriage trains. By now there are no lines in St. Petersburg which fully comply with such requirements. Still it should be mentioned that many of the tramlines made in 1970-80-s in new districts fit the definition in many respects – the dedicated lane (in the middle of the street or on the roadside), large intervals between stations. The speed made by the trams on new lines was quite comparable to that of the high-speed trams lines. To such “speed” lines the tramlines on Bukharestskaya street, Peterhof High Road, Prospekt Stachek, and Dalnevostochny Prospekt can be referred. But as the years went by, the tracks were repaired more and more rarely, the tram depot became out of date, the traffic intensity raised, and in points where the tramlines crossed the road the traffic jams occured. Due to the low tracking quality the traffic on meny lines is limited, and the limitation can be either 10 or 20 and 30 km/h. Still one of those “speed” city’s lines was reconstructed. The case in point is the line on Ligovsky Prospekt which goes to Bukharestskaya street. In November 2007 when the Ligovsky Prospect was opened after reconstruction, and there was a tram and bus lane arranged on it. In spite of some disadvantages, in general the lane on the Ligovsky Prospekt brings much benefits. In 2008 the tram line on Bukharestskaya street was subjected to repair. That resulted in appearance of a tram line from Kuznechny lane to the “Kupchino” metro station, which in many respects corresponded with the definition of the high-speed tram line, and what is most significant, the trams could make quite good speed on it. In practice, the trams pass the area from the “Ligovsky Prospekt” metro station to Prospekt Slavy in 25-30 minutes. Another high-speed line on Prospekt Prosvescheniya, which was opened in the year 2007, too, turned out to be less efficient due to the wrong traffic lights settings. It was supposed that when the tram reaches the intersection, the light signal will be switched to red in advance, but the wrong settings didn’t let the green light to trams. Traffic jams nullify the trams’ advantages in dedicated lanes, in case when the tram tracks cross the road. The evidential example of the wrong dedicated line usage is the Ispytateley avenue. The jam occuring daily at “Pionerskaya” metro station prevents the tram from having traffic advantage in the dedicated lane on Ispytateley avenue.

It is possible to try to turn some other cuty’s tramlines into the high-speed ones.

The aforementioned examples allow to name the main problems and perspectives of St. Petersburg tram development. As for the modern state of the city’s tram system, the main problems are the lack of funding for renewal of tram depot and repair of tram tracks. For the year 2010 the funds provided for trams purchase is not bigger than in the current year, so there will be no any fundamental renewal of the tram depot in the next year. As for the repair of the tram tracks, in 2010 the repair on Obukhovskaya Oborona avenue from Obvodny Canal to the “Rybatskoe” metro station is planned, as well as on the right bank of the Nevsky district. One more problem is a bad quality of the tram tracks repair. This year there were some claims to the quality of repair works of some lines on the right bank of the Neva river. The tram traffic on Bukharestskaya street has been closed for several hours during week days and on week-ends in October and November of the current year. And this happens on the very street where the tracks repair was complete last year! Another problem of the city’s tram (and not only tram) is the violation of the road traffic regulations by the road users. This causes traffic jams which could have been much smaller.

The following measures could be promising in St. Petersburg's tram development:

- old tram lines reconstruction and repair, and their maximum transformation into the dedicated lanes,
- maximum quick replacement of the old tram depot by a new one,
- automated traffic control which will allow public transport, including trams, to gain advantages over the other road users,
- adoption of the legislative measures, which would allow to fight against those road users who violate the rules of driving to the intersections occupied by transport means or to the tran tracks, etc.,
- after the legislative acts on violations at intersections and tram tracks are passed, the general video control should be introduced, and the infringers are to be fined hardly.

As for the trams on Krestovsky Island, perhaps some day they will get back there. For example, when the economic situation is changed or the need for them becomes evident. They will get back and, possibly, in more modern and comfortable appearance.

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