When will the railway bridge to the Crimea be opened?

Since the Crimea joined the Russian Federation, the peninsula and everything connected with it is the most popular news in all sources. But for several years now, everyone’s attention has been riveted on the Crimean railway bridge. The media from both the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian side "keep abreast of it", telling in detail how the construction of the railway goes and when it is planned to open.

The message of the Crimea with the “big land” is a task that has more than one century. In antiquity, the peninsula with the continent was connected by a narrow isthmus, along which the Chumatsky Way passed. He connected the Crimean Khanate and the territory of the lower Cossacks, played the role of a trade route through which merchants carried their goods to both sides and often passed troops of those who wished to seize the rich Crimean lands. Over time, this path was "withered" and gradually was abandoned altogether. But the territory of the Crimea was still a tasty prey. It was not for nothing that during the Great Patriotic War bloody battles were fought between the Nazi-German invaders and the Red Army. The Germans understood how beneficial it was to have these lands in their hands, and they tried with all their might to seize them.

When Ukraine was in turmoil and some areas wanted to secede, gaining independence, Crimea did not stand aside. The result was transport isolation, which Ukraine punished the peninsula for self-will. The accession to Russia brought the Crimea out of this isolation, and the opening of the railway bridge would finally solve the problem of communication with the peninsula. The very idea of ​​such construction is not something new.

They remembered him only during the Great Patriotic War, when the Germans wanted to build a road bridge in order to ensure unhindered communication with the Kuban, which, like the Crimea, was occupied. Their designs were hindered by the turning point that caused them to retreat under the onslaught of the Russian army.

The invaders' plans were carried out by the Soviet Union, after the war, having built a railway bridge in the narrowest part of the strait, which was only four kilometers wide. But for a long time this bridge did not serve - it was damaged by a powerful ice floe. They did not repair the construction, because at that time the task of building the tracks on the territory of Ukraine came to the fore.

At the time of restructuring, Japanese specialists were involved in designing the bridge.

All the necessary surveys were carried out, calculations were made, but construction was never started due to excessive mobility of the soil, storm climate, high silt thickness and the presence of a large number of active near-bottom mud volcanoes at the site of the proposed construction.

Construction of the railway bridge, which will connect the Crimea with the territory of Russia, is nearing its completion.The automobile part is already functioning, its opening took place on May 15, 2018, but the railway section will be launched later. To date, the main work is considered completed. At the beginning of 2018 the first parts of the railway spans were laid for the future road. Anticipation of the plan when passing the automobile zone of the bridge is inspired to ensure that the railway was completed and put in place before the deadlines. However, besides the bridge itself, it is planned to build and restore the following objects:

• junction railway stations for freight trains;
• Dzhankoy station, together with the Feodosia – Simferopol road section;
• depot for cars and locomotives in the same Simferopol and Theodosia.

In addition, it is necessary on land to bring the railway tracks to the bridge from both sides, to create repair bases in those places where the road will pass in order to be able to carry out the necessary work quickly. At the moment, the issue of creating repair depots has already been resolved. Close to him came immediately after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia, now the objects are fully ready to work. The question of when the railway bridge will be opened is of much greater interest. Deadlines set at the end of 2019, say that the completion of the work is not far off.

If everything goes as planned, then in early 2020, the bridge will work. However, if you remember how much faster the work on the road bridge was completed, it can be assumed that the same story will repeat with the railway part. Estimated date of delivery of the bridge for vehicles was appointed in December 2018. The real launch of traffic on the bridge took place almost half a year earlier - in May of the same year.

At the end of 2018, the first parts of the railway spans were installed. Further, the builders began to install the branches, for each of which had to use super powerful jacks. They resisted a weight of 500-1000 tons, and also pushed the branches to the supports. Currently undergoing further work.

1. To continue construction on Tuzla (arc-shaped sandy island located in the southern section of the strait) elements of future spans are brought by sea, which are subsequently collected on a special stand. The speed of assembly work, according to contractors, is four and a half centimeters per minute. In total, thirty spans are planned to be collected on the surface section.
2. In addition to prefabricated elements, the structure of the bridge will include about ten parts connected by bolt and welding methods. They will provide additional strength of the bridge, reliability and durability.
3. Support piles, on which the main load falls, were installed at a fairly close distance - no more than sixty meters from each other, which will allow to evenly distribute the load and reduce the length of the spans themselves, and thus increase the level of safety of the bridge during operation. The total number of piles is 64. With a relatively small total length of structures that is six kilometers, it may seem that there are too many of them and they are located too often, close to each other. However, such a decision is more than justified and dictated by security considerations.

The weight of the structure, in spite of everything, is impressive - it will have to be about sixty thousand tons. Of course, one of the longest bridges in the Russian Federation cannot bear the weight of a fluff, but this figure - 60,000 tons - is to some extent overwhelming.

The Crimean Railway Bridge is one of the largest projects in the last few years. The prospects for its use are truly daunting. No wonder its social significance and economic advantages are so highly appreciated by experts. This new railroad connecting the peninsula and the “mainland” will allow not only passenger, but also freight transport, which is of great importance precisely in economic terms.

The development of tourism, agriculture, industry, trade - all this will be possible in the Crimea after the bridge is put into operation.

As for the technical characteristics, here he also boasts "special articles". It is planned to build a two-part. It will consist of a highway and railroad tracks.

The route will also be made separate - for trucks and cars. This will make traffic on the bridge more convenient and safer. The railway itself is built on a special technology - there are almost no joints between the rails. Extended rail lashes (more than twenty-five meters) can reduce the number of connections. This, in turn, reduces the noise level when trains move, making their course smoother. In addition, this solution increases the time, reliability and ease of operation of the railway.

The dimensions of the design rightly make it one of the most ambitious, large-scale structures, at least in the territory of the Russian Federation. When the bridge is ready, it is assumed that its height will be about 50 meters, and in shipping areas - up to 35 meters. The canvas will reach a length of nineteen kilometers. For the local population, this project has another meaning.

On how to build a railway bridge, see below.