Vintage models and new generation vehicles: how the yearly tram parade will proceed

The annual tram parade will take place in Moscow on April 20. The holiday is timed to coincide with the 120th anniversary of the opening of tram traffic in Moscow.

On this day, unique vintage trams will pass through the central streets. The column will start at 11:00 from Shabolovka and proceed along Serpukhovskoy Val, Danilovsky Val, Dubininskaya and Novokuznetskaya streets, the Bolshoi Ustinsky Bridge, and Yauzsky and Pokrovsky Boulevards. Following the parade, it will head for Chistoprudny Boulevard. From 12 to 15 PM, an exhibition of trams will be held here.

“The Moscow tram celebrates its jubilee, it turns 120. We invite all the residents of the city to attend this festivity. Eighteen trams, from historical to new generation vehicles, will take part in the parade. Moscow residents and the city’s guests will see the vintage models they know and are fond of as well as exhibits displayed for the first time,” said Director General of Mosgortrans Leonid Antonov.

This year the city residents will see for the first time the pre-war series S trailer reconstructed at the Sokolnichesky car manufacturing and repair facility of Mosgortrans. Also, two Tatra T3 cars, a three-door passenger carriage and a street washer for urban maintenance will participate in the parade for the first time. KTM-1 and KTP-1 trams will join the column. They have been renovated using the year 1948 models.   

Among the usual participants of the annual parade are a horse-drawn carriage of the 19th century, F cars built in 1908, and KM and KP cars of the 1930s. This year these vehicles will again pass through the city’s streets.

During the exhibition at Chistoprudny Boulevard, one will be able to enter the trams and take pictures there. Also, contests and raffles will be held. Musicians will play on a tram specially prepared for the performance. Actors in historical costumes will entertain the guests.

The Moscow tram parade has been taking place since 2014. Each year, vehicle models that have not been shown to the public previously, join the column. For example, last year’s “novices” were KTM-1 and KTP-1 cars.  

The long trip to Vityaz or the story of the Moscow tram systemFrom Konka horse-drawn trams to electric buses: how public transport has developed

There are forty-six tram routes in Moscow today. The Mosgortrans’s rolling stock numbers about 800 trams, 240 of which are Vityaz-Moskva new generation trams. The innovative vehicles operate in the North-East, East, South-East, South, and the centre of Moscow.

There are forty-six tram routes in Moscow today. The Mosgortrans’s rolling stock numbers about 800 trams, 240 of which are Vityaz-Moskva new generation trams. The innovative vehicles operate in the North-East, East, South-East, South, and the centre of Moscow.

Vityaz-Moskva cars are silent; their low floor eases special needs passengers’ boarding and alighting. The cars are equipped with climate control and satellite navigation systems, security cameras, and USB sockets for charging mobile gadgets. Vityaz-Moskva uses no turnstiles, accommodating up to 260 passengers. The manufacturer will provide 30-year maintenance.

Another 100 or so new generation trams will be launched before the year is out. By 2024, the city’s tram inventory will fully consist of innovative vehicles.

In 2019, it is planned to rebuild 31 km of the tramlines. During repair, sound absorbing materials and environment friendly sleepers from recycled waste will be used. The vehicles will run along continuous welded tracks more quickly, smoothly and noiselessly.