[as of 2014 ]

City

Founded: 1795
Population: 464 881 (2012)
All-time maximum population: 498 800 (1994)
Location: Lugansk

A city in the north-east of the Donbass region. Lugansk’s modern territory incorporates two formerly separate municipalities, Luganskiy Zavod and Kamenniy Brod, which merged in 1882. The city was known as Voroshilovgrad between 1935-1958, and 1970-1990. Lugansk constitutes a large non-descript collection of village-like private housing and vast apartment building developments, scattered around an industrial core with emphasis on metallurgy and heavy machinery manufacturing, with the “Luganskteplovoz” (the railroad locomotive) factory being the city’s traditional principal employer.

TRAMWAY

Network Stats

Operator: GKP "Luganskelektrotrans"

Central city system opened: 03.05.1934
Kamenniy Brod system in the north opened: 01.05.1935
Two systems merged: 06.11.1965
Track length: 90,4 km. (one-way)
Number of routes: 9
Number of passenger vehicles: 34 (27 operable)
Number of vehicles required for service: 21
All-time maximum number of vehicles: 142 (1982)

Network map: 1934-2013 2010 2014
Timetable: 2014

A formerly vibrant and busy tramway network that experienced a dramatic decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The system boasted 142 cars in 1982, which number was reduced to 27 operable cars by 2014, with only 21 cars operating in service. Many KTM-5M3 cars were scrapped following a deadly accident in 1994 with car 133, which happened due to car’s poor state of repair. Even though little trackage was lost, the service nowadays is reduced to a bare minimum. The Line 6 serving the main north-south corridor is the only one to offer adequate service, with 5-10 trams operating every 8-16 minutes. The Lines 2 and 13 operate with 2 cars each, while all other services operate with 1 car per line on intervals up to 45-90 min. Some runs are often abandoned. Regular car maintenance is scheduled for half a day weekly for each tram, during which time lines operated with a single car do not run at all. Most tramway services operate until 17:00-18:00 on weekdays and15:00-16:00 on weekends, with the exception of Lines 6 and 13 that operate until about 19:00. The line via 2-ya Belomorskaya Ulitsa to the eastern entrance of the “Luganskteplovoz” factory was abandoned in 1994, dismantled 12.2013. The long line to Pl. Lenina in the northern Kammeniy Brod neighborhood was “temporarily” closed 06.10.2011 due to rolling stock shortages and drainage work alongside the tracks, which closure is popularly regarded as permanent. Lugansk operated 8 LT-10 trams locally built at the “Luganskteplovoz” factory in 1994-1998. Problematic and inefficient, these trams ceased to operate in the early 2000s, with the exception of car 207, which was rehabbed and briefly operated in 2007. 5 Ukrainian-built K-1 trams delivered in 2004 were the last new trams acquired by Lugansk. These trams operate exclusively on the Line 6. Instead of new trams, the city opted for a program of extensive rehab for old KTM-5M3 trams from 1987-1990. Production of trams at the “Luganskteplovoz” yielded a total of 21 cars of LT-10, LT-10A and LT-5 type delivered to Lugansk, Yenakievo and Moscow, and ceased in 2003.

Rolling Stock

A total of 34 vehicles:
KTM-5M3 : 28 vehicles, 171 scrapped (1982-1991)
K1 : 4 vehicles, 1 scrapped (2004)
LT-10 : 1 vehicle (inoperable), 7 scrapped (1993-1998)
LT-10A : 1 vehicle (1995) (the first low-floor tram in the CIS, prototype, never operated, stored at the "Luganskteplovoz" factory)

Formerly used vehicles:
Kh (motor); M (trailer) : 55+59 (operated 1934-1968) (some ex-Kiev, Kharkov)
F (motor); KP (trailer) : 5+5 (operated 1948-1962) (ex-Moscow)
KTM-1 (motor); KTP-1 (trailer) : 34+34 (operated 1952-1975)
KTM-1 (motor); KTP-1 (trailer) : 91+91 (operated 1962-1980)
MTB-82 : 8 (operated 1958-1979)
MTB-82 : 1 (1993, operated 2004-2012) (ex-Dnepropetrovsk)
LT-5 (2003, test runs of cars built for Moscow)

Tramway photos on map

Tramway photo galleries: Central Core Suburbs

TROLLEYBUS

Network Stats

Operator: GKP "Luganskelektrotrans"

System opened: 25.01.1962
Overhead length: 84,9 km. (one-way)
Number of routes: 7
Number of passenger vehicles: 34 (24 operable)
Number of vehicles required for service: 23
All-time maximum number of vehicles: 125 (1990)

Network map: 1960-2014 2010 2014
Timetable: 2014

A formerly vibrant and busy trolleybus network that experienced a dramatic decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The system boasted 125 trolleybuses in 1990, which number was reduced to 24 operable vehicles by 2014, with 23 required for service. The system was known as a stronghold of Skoda vehicles in the Donbass region, famous for a standardized Skoda 9Tr fleet in the 1970/80s. Many Skoda 9Tr trolleybuses were scrapped following a deadly 1994 accident with the tram 133, which move was widely considered as an excuse to weaken the system. Nevertheless, 3 Skoda 9Tr trolleybuses operated as late as 2007-2008. Critical rolling stock shortages led to a drastic service reduction and service closures. The popular Line 52 was temporarily suspended between 2003-2008. A recent attempt to revitalize the electric transport in the city mostly affected trolleybuses, not trams, with 16 new Ukrainian-built Bohdan T60111/2 vehicles delivered in 2009-2010. The new arrivals, however, covered the most essential equipment needs only, so the service is still maintained at a bare minimum. Many scheduled runs remain unfulfilled due to mechanical problems and required maintenance of trolleybuses. The west-east Lines 51 and 52 are the most popular and profitable in the city, operated on the 13-16 min. interval each. The Line 52 was restructured at the end of 2013 with half of runs now operating short turn trips between the city center and the east or west suburbs only, designated as the new services 56 and 58 respectively. The Line 54 operates with inconsistent intervals, and is the first to be sacrificed in case of equipment shortages. The Line 53 usually gets the oldest equipment. The long suburban Line 57 offers the most sparse trolleybus service, with the officially scheduled 2 vehicles almost always reduced to a single trolleybus operating every 70-82 min. Most trolleybus services operate until about 18:00, with the exception of the Line 51 that operates until 21:00. The service continues to suffer due to rampant competition from swarms of midibuses operated by corrupt private carriers, with trolleybuses representing only a tiny fraction of public transit vehicles in the streets.

Rolling Stock

A total of 34 vehicles:
Bogdan T60111, Bogdan T60112 : 16 vehicles (2009,2010)
Dnipro E187 : 3 vehicles (2008)
ZiU-682G-016.03 : 3 vehicles (2006,2007)
YuMZ T1R (T2P) : 5 vehicles, 10 scrapped (1993) (formerly articulated)
Škoda 14Tr : 7 vehicles, 52 scrapped (1984-1989) (5 ex.Plzen, 1996)

Formerly used vehicles:
MTB-82 : 2 (operated 1962-1969)
MTBES : 4 (operated 1962-1969)
ZiU-5 : 31 (operated 1962-1976)
K5-LA : 64 (operated 1963-1970)
K-4 : 26 (operated 1968-1975)
K-6 : 11 (operated 1969-1976)
Škoda 9Tr : 127 (operated 1971-2008)

Trolleybus photos on map

Trolleybus photo galleries: Central Core Suburbs

Last updated: 19-Mar-2014
© 2002 Author: Yury Maller - Usage of material found herein for public display is possible with authors' permission only.

Additional data source: Sergey Tarkhov, Kostj Kozlov, Aare Olander, “Elektrotransport Ukarainy”.

Special thanks: IKS (maps); Kostj Kozlov, Aare Olander, Stefen Spengler, Thomas Fischer, Anton Kochurov, Yaroslav Luchenetskiy, Dmitriy Aksenov
Sergey Maksimov, Viktor Bergman, Volodya Tsarenko, Vladimir Tsokur, Trekhgranka, MAXMASTER, tavalex2007, YumZ E2

Lugansk Complete Photo Archive