General Director of State Unitary Enterprise Mosgortrans - about how things will change public transport capital after the completion of the “My Street” program.

The “My Street” improvement program is coming to an end in the capital. General Director of the State Unitary Enterprise Mosgortrans Evgeny Mikhailov told in an interview when trolleybuses without “horns” will run along the updated streets and how the improvement helps to establish a bus connection between residential areas and the city center. He also said that in September they will introduce a single authorization for free Wi-Fi in the metro and ground transport, and will be released before the end of the year mobile app with an alarm reminding you when the bus arrives.

— Evgeniy Fedorovich, the “My Street” program provides for the expansion of pedestrian spaces. But at the same time, almost everywhere where repairs are taking place, the lanes of the roadway are narrowed. Could this affect public transport?

— Before the improvement, road lanes in the capital were unevenly divided. Six lanes for transport on one street turned into four, and four - on some sections of the route - turned into two lanes. Because of this, so-called bottlenecks were formed - bottlenecks. Because of this, there were traffic difficulties in the city.

During the improvement, the number of lanes on the roads was equalized. The width of the dedicated lane is now 3.75 - four meters, this is quite enough for public transport to pass without any problems for other road users.

All dedicated lanes are maintained in the city, new ones are appearing, and there cannot be any difficulties for public transport. Moreover, we are launching new routes and planning to saturate the central part of the city with public transport.

The frequency of public transport in the center will increase three to four times

— Which new routes will appear and which will disappear after the improvement?

— None of the public transport routes in the center will disappear. After the completion of work under the “My Street” program this year and the launch of traffic on the updated Kremlin ring, we will receive an additional dedicated lane from Lubyanka to the Bolshoi Kamenny Bridge and will be able to increase the frequency of traffic on the routes. Starting from September, almost 80 units of rolling stock - buses and trolleybuses - will be added to the central part of the city on various routes. The frequency of public transport in the center will increase three to four times. Citizens will have the opportunity to quickly and directly travel from remote areas of the capital to the center.

The “My Street” improvement program does not end this year, and we will continue, depending on the introduction of new dedicated lanes, to create transport connections from the Moscow Ring Road to any central street of the city.

This year we will connect the Moscow Ring Road along Leninsky Prospekt with the Lubyanka metro station

— So the new dedicated lines are plans for next year?

— Basically yes. But this year we will connect the Moscow Ring Road along Leninsky Prospekt with the Lubyanka metro station.

Already in the fall we will return the trolleybus to Tverskaya Street - to route T1

Thus, with the launch of a dedicated lane on the Kremlin ring, route 144 (Tyoply Stan - Bolotnaya Square) will be extended to the Lubyanka station, the bus interval will be five to seven minutes.

Already in the fall we will return the trolleybus to Tverskaya Street - to route T1. Trolleybuses with increased autonomous speed that will travel along this route will be able to travel 15 kilometers without connecting to the contact network. Previously, the route of this route did not reach the end of Tverskaya, and the trolleybus turned onto Boulevard Ring and only then went to the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge. Now it will go across the entire Tverskaya Street, then along the Kremlin Ring to the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge along a new dedicated lane.

We never had a goal to replace trolleybus routes with buses

— Tell us more about trolleybuses with increased autonomous speed, how many of these will there be in the capital?

— A trolleybus with an increased autonomous speed can operate even on those sections of streets where there is no contact network. It is equipped with a battery that is recharged in places where there is a contact network. We ordered 12 of these machines. The manufacturing company is expected to begin shipping in September. The new trolleybuses will cross the city center autonomously, without power from the contact network, using battery power. In fact, this is an experiment. It is necessary to evaluate how such transport will cope with work in Moscow, taking into account climatic features and capital traffic.

By the end of 2017 we plan to assemble 90 trolleybuses to operate on Moscow routes

— Which trolleybus routes will be replaced by bus routes?

— We never had a goal to replace trolleybus routes with bus routes. In Moscow, only one percent of the contact network was dismantled. And the trolleybuses, which ran on these sections of streets before the dismantling of the wires, were redirected to other routes where there is a contact network.

I’ll say right away that, despite the concerns of the townspeople, we have not had a single complaint from people who use these routes every day.

By the end of 2018, 300 thirty-meter trams will be purchased

No one said: “I felt bad, I feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable on the new bus, give me back my old trolleybus.” On the contrary, we have a large number of appeals and requests regarding the replacement of trolleybuses with buses in other parts of the city. However, I repeat once again that all these messages about liquidation were untrue.

By the end of 2017, the Sokolnichesky Car Repair and Construction Plant, a branch of the State Unitary Enterprise Mosgortrans, plans to assemble 90 trolleybuses for operation on Moscow routes.

In addition, we have a large program planned for the development and renovation of trams in Moscow. By the end of 2018, 300 thirty-meter trams will be purchased. The appearance of the city tram and the perception of passengers of this type of public transport will change.

— What happens to trolleybus drivers while buses are temporarily on their routes? Are they fired?

— We employ about 15 thousand drivers, and the city’s need is 18 thousand. We even take people without skills, train, prepare, and examine ourselves. Trolleybus drivers whose routes have been replaced by buses continue to work on other trolleybus routes in the city.

— Do you have any kind of retraining program for drivers if they want to drive a bus rather than a tram, for example?

— Yes, of course, such a program exists. Each driver can choose the type of transport that he likes best. Therefore, the program of retraining and obtaining additional qualifications is in great demand. Many tram or trolleybus drivers receive a bus driver's license, and bus drivers receive a trolleybus or tram driver's license.

— Behind Lately Mosgortrans tested several electric buses. How exactly are they tested?

— Tests are carried out at our factories. Electric buses are being tested on an experimental route network; they are working with passengers. That is, we observe how electrical equipment behaves under conditions close to real ones. Before purchasing electric buses and putting them into operation, we must test all types of electrical equipment, all types of batteries to choose the best. After all, if tomorrow these electric buses stop working, the question will arise: the money is spent, people don’t travel, the electric buses are standing still, and who should be responsible? This approach applies to the selection of all transport. Moscow needs better buses, electric buses, trolleybuses and trams.

We will be testing a Belarusian trolleybus with a diesel generator unit until the end of the year. Kamazovsky - until the end of October. The Chinese model of the electric bus may come to us in October

— How long will it take for the samples that are currently at your enterprise to undergo testing?

— We will be testing a Belarusian trolleybus with a diesel generator unit until the end of the year. Kamazovsky - until the end of October. Then we may continue testing. A Chinese model of an electric bus may arrive in October. We plan to test it in Russian winter conditions, since these machines have never been operated in sub-zero temperatures.

Almost 80 percent of the rolling stock of ground public transport is equipped with access to free Internet

— It was planned to make Wi-Fi available to all passengers of ground urban transport by the end of the year. How is this project developing?

— Almost 80 percent of the rolling stock of ground public transport is equipped with access to free Internet. In September, together with the metro, we will complete measures to synchronize access to Wi-Fi networks. By registering in one of the networks, the user will gain access to the other.

— How serious is the problem with free riders in ground transport now?

— We are quite effective in combating this problem: since the beginning of the year, more than 14 thousand misused social cards have been confiscated. Unfortunately, people still use other people's social cards. They usually take them from their parents or grandparents. Also, since the beginning of the year, inspectors have identified 50 thousand ticketless passengers.

Instead of waiting at a stop, a person will drink coffee or go shopping, and the application will warn him about the approach of public transport

— When will the Mosgortrans mobile application with all routes start working?

— This year. The user will be able to build a route taking into account trips by metro, along the Moscow Central Circle, suburban railway. Each smartphone can have an interactive display of any stop with the transport arrival schedule and a forecast of the time that will have to be spent on the road.

Users of the application will not only see the schedule and routes, but will also be able to set reminders and alarms that will not let them forget about the upcoming trip. Each time, based on the forecast for the arrival of a bus, trolleybus or tram, the passenger will receive a reminder. This means that his life will become more comfortable. Instead of waiting at a stop, a person will drink coffee or go shopping, and the application will warn him about the approach of public transport.

67 bus routes transferred to other transport companies

— In the summer, private buses began plying the streets of Moscow. How many routes has Mosgortrans handed over to private owners?

— developed a new route network. And as part of the overall program, 67 bus routes were transferred for further operation to other transport companies. For us, this is not a reduction in transport work, because all released rolling stock is redirected to strengthen existing routes. There the frequency of movement increases, the quality improves passenger transportation.

Currently, about 1,400 private buses of medium and large capacity, there are very few small-capacity buses.

As part of the specialized exhibition of bus equipment Busworld Russia-2018, KAMAZ presented another new product - an urban low-floor trolleybus big class KAMAZ-62825 with increased autonomous travel.

It is adapted for passenger transportation in cities where there are contact networks for trolleybuses, the company’s press service reports.

The new model will expand the scope of application of KAMAZ electric vehicles without attracting additional investments, since all the necessary infrastructure has already been created. The autonomous travel of the trolleybus is more than 20 km, which allows it to travel a significant part of the city route without contact networks, avoid accidents or change its route in the event of force majeure.

In this case, the power reserve is completely restored from the contact network in just 20 minutes. Energy recovery during braking is provided, which allows you to return kinetic energy back to the drives, thereby saving energy. This is especially noticeable when driving around the city with a lot of stops and braking in front of them.

A traction battery – lithium titanate batteries (LTO) – is used as an energy storage device. Batteries of this type are used on KAMAZ electric buses and have already proven themselves positively during operation.

The spacious and comfortable trolleybus interior has 33 seats, a ramp and mounting space wheelchair. IN total The trolleybus will be able to transport 85 people.

The basic package includes glued-in tinted windows, a panoramic windshield with sun blinds, an electronic route indicator, and anti-vandal seats. The salon is illuminated LED lamps. The driver's seat is adjustable, pneumatic, with a three-point seat belt.

At the request of the client, the trolleybus can be equipped with a climate system and video surveillance; it is possible to order the original body color according to the buyer’s color map.

Also at the Busworld Russia exhibition, the company showed the KAMAZ-6282 electric bus, a modification of which is now being supplied to Mosgortrans. It was demonstrated in tandem with the UFC-240 ultra-fast charging station. In addition, the KAMAZ-1221 drone, better known as “Sh.A.T.L.”, was presented at the company’s stand. (Widely Adaptive Transport Logistics). Vehicle especially small class was developed by KAMAZ together with NAMI and is intended for movement on paved roads using data from digital maps, navigation systems and technical vision organs.

: “In a fifteen-year cycle, an electric bus is almost 10% cheaper than a trolleybus due to the fact that the price of a trolleybus correctly includes the cost of the car, the service, the costs that we spend, and the maintenance of the contact network, which some of our critics simply do not consider, removing from the account." Is it really? Let's try to figure it out.

First, it’s worth understanding what numbers for electric buses generally exist in open access and how Liksutov can operate with them. First of all, this is data on purchases of electric buses and charging stations. For example, let’s take the purchase of KamAZ trucks for 6.3 billion rubles. According to it, one electric bus costs about 33 million rubles. In the same purchase, maintenance costs per kilometer are calculated for 2018 - 22.22 rubles.

Cost of purchasing an electric bus and charging. Source: government procurement website

What about trolleybuses? For example, trolleybuses with autonomous operation are successfully operating in St. Petersburg, and this is exactly the public transport that Moscow needs, not electric buses. The procurement cost of such a trolleybus is about 20 million rubles. There is already a difference of 13 million. The cost of service per kilometer of travel for a trolleybus in general, not only for the St. Petersburg trolleybus, cannot cost more than 20 rubles (according to a source from Mosgortrans), contracts life cycle there is simply no higher price, and on average it is about 18 rubles per kilometer. Even if we take a bus example, which, according to statistics, is clearly more expensive than a trolleybus, the life cycle cost of LiAZ in bus depot 17 is 14 rubles per kilometer, even taking into account the inclusion of major repairs in the price, it cannot exceed 17 rubles. And even if you take the maximum permissible 20 rubles per kilometer, it will still be cheaper than an electric bus.

Electric bus maintenance cost. Source: government procurement website

Now about the contact network, which “critics are discounting,” its antonym in our case will be charging stations for electric buses, which cost almost 13 million to purchase. To find out the cost of the contact network, let’s take the recent tender for its reconstruction in Polyanka under the “My Street” program. The cost of almost complete reconstruction amounted to 8 million rubles per kilometer.

The cost of rebuilding the contact network in Polyanka. Source: government procurement website

These are new wires, spare parts, fittings. Let's try, using these figures, to calculate how much the trolleybus infrastructure will cost on the current route 73. Currently there are four charging stations installed on it, but only two of them are working, and the other two are not even connected. When it comes time for electric buses to charge, queues form near the charging stations, which means that the current number of charging stations is not enough. For stable operation route, 60 electric buses are needed, with planned use this means 15-20 charging stations, but with current breakdowns and problems, 34 charging stations are needed to have a reserve. The length of 73 routes (according to the register) is 24.7 km; for a major reconstruction of the trolleybus infrastructure, 195.4 million rubles will be needed. And this will be a fully and stably functioning route. For electric buses, as we calculated, 34 charging stations are needed, that is, almost 441 million rubles. At the same time, the service life of the contact network is 15-20 years, but in fact it can last up to 30 years if you change small spare parts, which in general cost a penny. Therefore, this is a long-term and effective investment, and even a network built from scratch costs much less, requires virtually no maintenance funds and lasts much longer, unlike charging stations for electric buses.

In addition, current autonomous trolleybuses, like those in St. Petersburg, do not need wires throughout the entire route; even a little less than half is enough, that is, it’s even less money. And given the constant breakdowns of charging stations due to imperfect technology, backup and emergency stations are needed.

The cost of a St. Petersburg trolleybus with autonomous operation. Source: government procurement website

According to our sources from Mosgortrans, 5 thousand rubles per month are spent on servicing a kilometer of contact network - mainly replacing small parts that deteriorate due to the climate, and servicing a charging station costs 44.6 thousand rubles per kilometer per month. Again, for stable operation of route 73, 1.44 million rubles per year must be spent on maintaining the contact network, and 18.2 million rubles per year on servicing charging stations. Of course, trolleybus infrastructure is much cheaper, and we do not take into account the cost of installing charging stations, since this data simply does not exist. You can object, because you need to calculate the cost of the substation that should power the wires. But the fact is that the substations supply not only the contact network of trolleybuses, but also the charging stations of electric buses, so its cost does not matter for comparison. The argument about the high cost of the network disappears.

Charging maintenance cost. Source: government procurement website

As you know, an electric bus runs on more than just electricity. There is a diesel stove for heating inside. Its approximate fuel consumption is 3.5-4 liters per hour, that is, in 15-16 hours of operation, the electric bus turns into the equivalent of a small car and almost half a bus. These are additional expenses both for refueling and for the fuel itself. And let’s not even mention the promised “eco-friendly mode of transport.”

The main part of the expenses in any enterprise is staff salaries. According to Mosgortrans' response at a public hearing, it is planned to produce 34 electric buses on route 73 instead of 22 trolleybuses in order to reduce the waiting interval between them - electric buses require time to recharge. This is not only a big expense due to the use of more cars, but also a much greater expense on driver salaries. Even if we really assume that an electric bus is 10% cheaper, all these calculations crumble just from an increase in the number of cars by 12 units and a larger fund wages. It's certainly nice for drivers to essentially be paid for being idle while waiting for charging, but is this really an effective use of money?

These are all numbers, let's move on to practice. And it shows that such a non-working technology in the future may require more more money for repairs and improvements. There are no GOST standards for charging stations; it is unclear how they will be coordinated. Mosgortrans refers to the fact that this is a new technology and there are no requirements for it, but this is not so. There are GOST standards for electrical installations, so the situation is such that the installed stations are essentially illegal. And since there is no certification information on them, there is no way to know how much energy they consume. But, judging by the way they heat up and break, unable to withstand the voltage, they consume more than they can. They are installed in the most strange way - practically on the roadway, if snow falls and a snowplow drives, it will either demolish the station or fill it with snow, which will make it difficult to charge the electric bus, or simply damage it. In addition, according to cable laying specialists, the charging stations currently standing in Bibirevo are powered from trolleybus wires, since the cable was not laid there, and at VDNKh, during the laying of the cable, everything was flooded with water, several cars were pumping out the water, but were unable to pump out all water. Essentially, the cable is partially submerged in water. At any moment this can lead to an accident and further expenses for repairs.

Chinese batteries on the roofs of electric buses overheat, so the top part is simply removed. Could this lead to an emergency if it will rain or snow - it’s not completely clear, but a breakdown or even explosion of the battery from overheating is quite a likely tragedy. Electric buses do not have wiring harnesses, so only two of them have air conditioning. This is again additional costs for modifications and repairs due to a fictitious non-working technology. I remember the story when Liksutov was going to fire people for non-working air conditioners (according to our information, no one has been fired yet). Where are the dismissals for a completely non-functional electric bus?

In the same way, they bury in the sand the money that was spent on the reconstruction of the contact network and later they decided to launch an electric bus on these routes. For example, like on trolleybus route 76. In 2016, poles and wires were replaced there, and now it is planned to launch an electric bus there. As part of the program for the reconstruction of outbound highways, the trolleybus infrastructure of Shchelkovskoe Highway was reconstructed, but route 83 is also going to be changed to an electric bus. Money wasted. And there are quite a lot of such sites, so what kind of savings can there be?

In essence, we have untested, crude and ineffective electric bus technology, the calculations for which were carried out in an unclear way. It’s hard to say where the 10% cheapness compared to a trolleybus comes from; everything breaks down based on the figures of Mosgortrans itself. Moreover, the current trolleybus can be made even cheaper and without losing efficiency. For example, if you take inexpensive supports for a contact network, do not use expensive ribbed insulators, when wood has been used effectively all over the world for a long time and there is no need for expensive insulators. We replace small parts very often, due to the fact that Mosgortrans purchases the cheapest parts, while in Europe they use more expensive parts that do not require constant repairs, but here everything turns out to be much more expensive. And all this leads to the fact that the authorities continue to destroy the trolleybus, and do not hesitate to adjust all the figures to suit their goals, doing everything to make the trolleybus ineffective in the eyes of the public.

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Every tenth trolleybus in St. Petersburg will receive autonomous operation from Liotech

24.07.17 09:10 Liotech-Innovations LLC will supply 66 vehicle sets of lithium-ion batteries (LIAB) for the Russian trolleybus manufacturer Trolza.

The project is being carried out within the framework of the contract between the Trolza company and the Transport Committee of St. Petersburg for the supply of trolleybuses with increased autonomous travel in order to update urban electric transport.

Now there are 46 trolleybus routes in the city, and the fleet consists of more than 600 trolleybuses. Thus, 10% of the city’s trolleybus fleet will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries produced by Liotech-Innovations LLC. All machines that will be delivered under the contract have a reserve autonomous travel for 7.5 km.

“The increase in the number of trolleybuses with extended autonomous travel on Russian roads is important stage development of electric transport, making it possible to create in Russia competencies in the development and production of storage devices with an energy intensity of up to 100 kWh, and in the future move to the production of more powerful and energy-intensive (200–400 kWh) storage devices for use in electric buses and other powerful machines. This is also convenient for city operating companies - they get the opportunity to test autonomous electric vehicles now and use this experience in the future when introducing electric buses,” says Vladimir Kozlov, Managing Director for Investment Activities of Management Company RUSNANO.

According to forecasts, by 2025 the total capacity of energy storage devices used for urban transport will be more than 10 GWh. As part of the contract, Liotech-Innovations carries out production and supply of not only lithium-ion batteries, but also technical solution top level: battery, which includes a specially designed housing, control and temperature control system. Currently, Liotech is the center of Russian competencies in the mass production of lithium-ion cells and batteries based on them.

“For us, the development of cooperation with the Trolza company is recognition of the quality and effectiveness of our products. In addition to 66 vehicle kits for Trolza trolleybuses for St. Petersburg, a large batch of trolleybuses with an autonomous range will be delivered in the near future for operation in Yuzhny federal district. We are not going to stop there and are actively presenting the products of Liotech-Innovations LLC at leading international technology exhibitions. Thus, based on the results of the year’s work, the number of electric vehicles with increased autonomous travel, equipped with LIAB manufactured by Liotech-Innovations, will be about 150 units,” noted CEO Liotech-Innovations LLC Valery Yarmoshchuk.

Liotech supplies the energy market. At the beginning of 2017, another RUSNANO portfolio company launched a hybrid power plant (HPP) in the village of Menza Trans-Baikal Territory. ASUE consists of solar modules total capacity 120 kW, two diesel generators of 200 kW each. The installation included battery cells for an energy storage device with a capacity of 300 kWh produced by Liotech. It is planned that in 2017 Hevel will build two more hybrid power plants in Transbaikalia, which can also use Liotech energy storage devices as a fully completed containerized product, including all electronics and control system (the choice of supplier will be determined after summing up the results of the competition). The Liotech drive will use new developments from the plant with a full quality guarantee.

Also, requests are received from Russian manufacturers of commercial vehicles for the supply of LIAB kits for both electric vehicles, electric buses and special equipment. On this moment ready-made solutions are also being developed for other special equipment, in particular for the mining industry.