THE CITY
[as of 03.2008]
The city of Tyumen, the capital of the Tyumenskiy Region of Russia, is located on tha banks of the Tura River some 2144 km east of Moscow. The city is historically considered to be the entryway into Russia's vast Siberia region. The original settlement was established in 1586. The status of the city was acquired in 1782. The city's population is 549 900 people.
Tyumen is an important center for the gas and oil industries in Russia. Despite that, even though the general assumption is that the city should be riding the wave of the Russian natural resources-fueled economy, Tyumen remains a backwater town that conveys a rather surprisingly peripheral image. The city center is an incoherent mix of showy 'new-Russian' edifices and Stalin-era neoclassic ensembles, combined with old log houses and dull Soviet concrete structures - there is an apparent shortage of anything of even mild architectural significance. The suburbs consist of a mix of Soviet style run-down dreary apartment blocks of the 1960-80s, and dilapidated log private housing
GENERAL INFORMATION
[03.2008]
Despite potential economic prosperity, the city itself does not seem to get to see the moneys it generates, as local social policies are rather notoriously antisocial. This is foremost evident when it comes to poor transportation planning and controversial environmental strategies.
Trolleybus lines cover most major corridors in the city, but the network is not dense enough, considering the pace of modern development in the city. As new trolleybus extensions fall behind the city's expansion, a number of city neighborhoods remain without trolleybus service. As a result, the trolleybus network rather reflects transportation demands of the mid-1980s. For instance, plans to build a trolleybus line via the new bridge over the Tura River never came through. Thus, the city's 'left bank' along with vast apartment block developments of Zarechniy and Parfenovo are not served by trolleybuses. In addition, only a small fraction of the huge development of new apartment blocks in the southeast of the city is served with a short 3-y Mikrorayon line, the latest extension in the city, opened back in 1986, while the rest of the development is yet to get trolleybus service. Similarly, the sizeable Yuzhniy apartment block development was built within the proximity to the existing Aeroport Plekhanovo trolleybus line, but is not served by it.
Despite trolleybuses serving most traditional markets in the city, even during the Soviet era, Tyumen had always relied on bus services rather than trolleybuses. During the 1980s there were as many as 60 bus routes that carried the overwhelming majority of passengers, while trolleybuses carried only about 1/6 of all passengers. Upon the development of private bus carriers in the late 1990s / early 2000s, this approach evolved into a full-blown uncontrolled citywide bustitution. Consequently, the city has become besieged by hordes of polluting diesel buses that can be seeing operating via major city streets in bus trainsets consisting of tens of buses in a single file.
The only positive aspect of the above described situation is the fact that most private carriers employ full-size buses, while unlike in many other Russian cities, there are only occasional midibuses or gypsy minibuses.
All trolleybus lines in the city are duplicated by private bus services, with buses literally operating on 60 sec headways. Hence, to an ordinary passenger in most cases there is no incentive to wait for a trolleybus in particular. The only exception is the common section of trolleybus Lines 6 and 14 to Zh.D. Vokzal and via Respubliki Ul., where trolleybus service is dense enough. Upon services 6 and 14 splitting up in the suburbs, the remaining section to 2-ya Gorbolnitsa served by Line 6 only, and the section to 3-y Mokrorayon served by Line 14, see less passenger patronage due to longer headways coupled with vigorous competition from buses. And finally, lines to Dom Oborony and Rabochiy Posyolok are served with a single scarcely operated Line 12, hence, trolleybus service here becomes essentially irrelevant.
Up until 07.2007, Line 9 remained the only trolleybus service in the city that still enjoyed adequate demand. The headway was maintained at about 12 min throughout the day, while competition from private carriers was minimal. This resulted in consistently high loads. Surely enough, the Aeroport Plekhanovo extension and Line 9 were subsequently closed, the official excuse being a construction of a railroad overpass at Profsoyuznaya Ul.
With a shift in economic priorities in present-day Russia, Soviet-era-built industrial parks could no longer generate passenger patronage that would justify trolleybus service. Thus, the line to Motorniy Zavod in the east, and the line to EMZ in the west were abandoned during the 1990s (the overhead was preserved).
The Motorniy Zavod line was the very first trolleybus line in the city. It is somewhat unique as it traverses the rural fields via the intercity Yalutorovskiy and Stariy Tobolskiy highways.
In 2005-2006 the authorities were seriously considering closing the trolleybus operation in the city. By 2007 the threat was downsized to the city center area only, where according to the official accounts, trolleybuses impede the flow of traffic. To compensate, trolleybus network was to expand in the suburbs. For instance, there was a plan to built the line in the southeastern apartment block developments, encircling it via Shirotnaya Ul., Motorostroiteley Ul. and 30 Let Pobedy Ul. and extending as far as Vostochniy Mikrorayon. There was also an unspecified plan to build the trolleybus line in the future futuristic Tyumen-2 development in the southeast.
As a partial confirmation to the above plans, when the 3-y Mikrorayon trolleybus loop was built over by the traffic interchange, as of January 1st, 2008, the trolleybus line was extended slightly via Shirotnaya Ul. to Tyumenskiy Mikrorayon - the first extension in the city in 22 years.
Furthermore, as of February 1st, 2008, trolleybuses returned to the EMZ line, even though as far as the Akkumulyatorniy Zavod only, but nevertheless, serving most of the western industrial park again.
HISTORY OF TROLLEYBUS NETWORK'S DEVELOPMENT
[03.2008]
12.06.1970 - From Avtovokzal (Zavod Medoborudovania) to Motorniy Zavod, via Vorovskogo Ul. (nowadays eastern part of Respubliki Ul.), Yalutorovskiy Trakt and Stariy Tobolskiy Trakt; Line 1 opens;
01.1971 - From Avtovokzal (Zavod Medoborudovania) to Muzey, via Respubliki Ul., and the loop in the city center via Respubliki Ul., Lenina Ul. and Profsoyuznaya Ul.; Line 1 extended; Lines 2 and 3 open;
12.1971 - Trolleybus Depot opens;
Early 1973 - From Respubliki Ul. to Kharkovskaya Ul. (Sibelektromontazh, 2-ya Gorbolnitsa) via Melnikayte Ul.; Lines 4 and 5 open;
Late 1973 - From Respubliki Ul. to Zh.D. Vokzal, via Pervomayskaya Ul.; Lines 6, 7 and 8 open;
1974 - From Respubliki Ul. to Amurskaya Ul. (Aeroport Plekhanovo) via Morisa Toreza Ul., the overpass over the Transsib Railroad, Traktovaya Ul., Zoi Kosmodemyanskoy Ul., Moskovskiy Trakt Ul., Internatsionlnaya Ul.; Lines 9 and 10 open;
1976 - From Respubliki Ul. to Belinskogo Ul. (Dom Oborony), via Perekopskaya Ul., Chernyshevskogo Ul., Polevaya Ul., Yamskaya Ul. (return via Lva Tolstogo Ul., Lunocharskogo Ul.); Lines 11 and 12 open;
1978 - From Belinskogo Ul. to EMZ, via Yamskaya Ul., Akkumulyatornaya Ul., Avtoremontnaya Ul.; Lines 4, 11 and 12 extended;
1985 - The new Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU) loop inserted; Lines 9 and 12 extended.
1986 - From Respubliki Ul. to Shirotnaya Ul. (3-y Mikrorayon), via Permyakova Ul.; Lines 13, 14 and 15 open;
1990-Å - Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 and 15 close;
07.2007 - Line 9 closes; Line 7 reopens;
01.01.2008 - From Permyakova Ul. to Tyumenskiy Mikrorayon, via Shirotnaya Ul.; Line 14 extended;
01.02.2008 - The new loop at Akkumulyatornaya Ul. / Avtoremontnaya Ul. inserted; Line 12 extended to Akkumulyatorniy Zavod.
ROUTES
[1986]
At the height of network's development:
1 Muzey - BKU (Rabochiy Posyolok) - Motorniy Zavod
2 Muzey - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
3 Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal) - Motorniy Zavod
4 Dom Oborony - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
5 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh) - BKU (Rabochiy Posyolok) - Motorniy Zavod
6 Zh.D. Vokzal - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
7 Zh.D. Vokzal - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
8 Zh.D. Vokzal - BKU (Rabochiy Posyolok) - Motorniy Zavod
9 Aeroport Plekhanovo - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
10 Aeroport Plekhanovo - BKU (Rabochiy Posyolok) - Motorniy Zavod
11 EMZ - Vokzal
12 EMZ - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
13 3-y Mikrorayon (Shirotnaya) - BKU (Rabochiy Posyolok) - Motorniy Zavod
14 Zh.D. Vokzal - 3-y Mikrorayon (Shirotnaya)
15 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh) - 3-y Mikrorayon (Shirotnaya)
[1996]
4 EMZ - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
6 Zh.D. Vokzal - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
9 Aeroport Plekhanovo - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
12 Dom Oborony - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
14 Zh.D. Vokzal - 3-y Mikrorayon (Shirotnaya)
[01.2007]
6 Zh.D. Vokzal - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
9 Aeroport Plekhanovo - Zavod Medoborudovania (Avtovokzal)
12 Dom Oborony - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
14 Zh.D. Vokzal - 3-y Mikrorayon (Shirotnaya)
[07.2007]
6 Zh.D. Vokzal - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
7 Zh.D. Vokzal - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
12 Dom Oborony - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
[02.2008]
6 Zh.D. Vokzal - 2-ya Gorbolnitsa (Sibelektromontazh)
12 Akkumulyatorniy Zavod - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
14 Zh.D. Vokzal - Tyumenskiy Mikrorayon
[05.2008]
7 Zh.D. Vokzal - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
12 Akkumulyatorniy Zavod - Rabochiy Posyolok (BKU)
14 Zh.D. Vokzal - Tyumenskiy Mikrorayon
SERVICE
[01.2007]
Rush hours:
Line 6 - about 12 min headway;
Line 9 - about 12 min headway;
Line 12 - about 12 min headway;
Line 14 - about 12 min headway.
Outside of rush hours:
Line 6 - about 20 min headway;
Line 9 - about 12 min headway;
Line 12 - about 24 min headway;
Line 14 - about 20 min headway.
Trolleybus operation is reliable, predictable and headways are maintained with notable regularity, provided there are ideal traffic conditions. Lines 6 and 14 are operated on a somewhat shared schedule, which provides for shorter combined headway.
During peak hours, however, the service suffers from delays due to chronic traffic jams in the city center and along the city's vital transit corridor, Respubliki Ul.
ROLLING STOCK
[01.2007]
Total of 60 trolleybuses of ZiU-682V and ZiU-682G type.
There are about 43 daily pullouts. At the same time there are no more than 30-32 vehicles in service at any given moment during the rush hour.
Most vehicles used in service are of the newer ZiU-682G type.
OVERHEAD
[02.2008]
Total length is 61 km one-way.
The overhead is relatively well maintained.
RESUME
[03.2008]
Trolleybus services in this half-a-million people strong city are practically non-essential due to overwhelming competition from private bus carriers. Even though plans to close trolleybus operation seem to have quieted down, they were replaced with ill-judged attempts to alter the network, revealing absence of any coherent transportation or urban development policy in the city. Despite the new strategy to develop trolleybus lines in the suburbs, the Aeroport Plekhanovo line and the only lucrative service in the city, Line 9, were closed. This was outweighed, however, by the short new extension to Tyumenskiy Mikrorayon in the southeast, and the return of trolleybuses to the western industrial park. The latter events possibly suggest a turnaround in the way trolleybuses are perceived in the city. Nevertheless, the trolleybus undertaking has found itself in increasingly jeopardized position, as it is awkwardly vulnerable to witless official policies.
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