"Step to the budget trip to the peninsula": builders laid half the rails on the railway part of the Crimean bridge

The builders completed the laying of half the rails of the railway part of the Crimean bridge. The paths are laid simultaneously in two directions.

“19 out of 38 km of the rail-sleeper grid are laid on a double-track railway through the Kerch Strait. The brigades, which form the upper structure of the path from the Taman coast towards the Kerch side, reached the equator of the bridge on the island of Tuzla by mid-March. Two parallel tracks for the movement of trains from the Kuban to the Crimea and in the opposite direction fit as the bridge spans are ready, ”the website dedicated to the construction of the bridge reports.

To gallery page

The builders explain that, first on the shore, rails and sleepers are assembled in links 25 meters long. Then the track laying crane with special platforms transports them from the base on the Taman Peninsula to the bridge along a special path, and the installation of ready links takes place there.

“Of the links, sections of the path are formed with a length of 440 meters, between which equalizing joints are put to compensate for thermal stresses. According to the project, there will be 84 sets of equalization joints on the Crimean Bridge. They will allow steel rails to “breathe” freely in the event of an increase or decrease in air temperature, ”said a representative of the contracting organization, Yevgeny Chibyshev.

In the construction of railroad tracks, thermo-strengthened rails of Russian production are used, which are able to withstand temperature fluctuations from −27 to +57 ° C. The capacity of the railway branch of the Kerch Strait will be up to 47 pairs of trains per day.

Design features

The strength and stability of the railway part of the bridge provides a powerful foundation on piles, which are immersed in the ground to a depth of 105 meters. A total of 307 rail towers will be installed.

The planners also made sure that the structure was safe for the environment: acoustic screens would be installed along the railway to protect against train noise, as well as complexes for multi-level cleaning and disinfection of water drains.

In addition, the bridge will be equipped with illumination in the colors of the Russian tricolor. On the Black Sea side of the railway arch, equipment is being installed to illuminate it in red. White diodes will be placed on supports that hold arched spans. The blue light has already been installed and tested in 2018, it illuminates the Azov side of the road arch of the bridge.

Weather independence

Senator from Sevastopol, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Olga Timofeeva, in an interview with RT, confirmed that construction is proceeding as scheduled. The railway part of the bridge should be launched in December 2019.

“This moment is very important for the residents of Crimea, because, first of all, the cargo transportation process will be completely independent of the weather. Because now, if there is a storm, then there is a crossing, respectively, the vital goods on the peninsula do not fall, ”Timofeeva explained.

Earlier it was reported that over the past winter the bridge construction has already withstood more than 900 storm hours.

Thus, according to a member of the Federation Council, the standard of living of the Crimean people will increase. Also, according to her, there will be an increase in tourist flow.

“Railway type of transport is the most reliable and cheap. So, the restoration of such a connection with the mainland of Russia is definitely important for the Crimean people, ”she concluded.

"Quickly, efficiently and openly"

Earlier, the Minister of Transport of Russia Yevgeny Dietrich did not rule out that the launch of railway traffic on the Crimean Bridge to the peninsula may occur earlier than the scheduled date.

“Today, the Crimean Bridge is the standard bearer in terms of operational work. No one is surprised that the works are on schedule, and sometimes ahead of schedule. This is the trend of new Russia - quickly, efficiently and openly to the public, ”said the representative of the Republic of Crimea in the State Duma Ruslan Balbek in an interview with RT.

It is also important that the railway will make the trip to the Crimea more accessible. This type of transport will be able to choose for themselves those who are not ready to “spend money on an airplane,” Balbek said.

“People will comfortably reach the health resorts of the peninsula - I am sure that this is a great joy for the majority of Russians. This is the main step to the budget trip to the peninsula. And the trip itself on the bridge in the train is a journey that will take your breath away, because the scenic views, no doubt, will delight the passengers, ”he concluded.