Construction and reconstruction of the street and road network with the construction of a tram line within the boundaries of the Verkhnyaya Pyshma urban district and the Yekaterinburg City municipality | JSC "Uralgiprotrans"

The urgency of building inter-municipal transport facilities arose due to the active expansion of Yekaterinburg's satellite cities. The issue of developing transport links within the agglomeration has become acute with the daily pendulum migration of residents between cities, leading to an increase in the number of movements both by public transport and by passenger cars.

When designing this facility, non-standard engineering solutions, new technologies and modern materials were applied, as well as various options for the location of the tram line and ways to reduce the negative impact on the environment were considered.

The total length of the branch line in single-track terms was 17.9 kilometers. Travel time is about 20-30 minutes. Modern low-floor Lion Cub trams run along the route, equipped with validators, USB sockets, climate control system and media panels. A folding panel and a driver's call button are provided for passengers with limited mobility.

This tram line runs through sections of the existing road network in the cramped conditions of urban development. At the same time, it was necessary to comply with building regulations, according to which the approach of the projected tram line to public buildings cannot be less than 20 m. In order to eliminate vibration effects and reduce the negative noise impact from tram traffic, Uralgiprotrans engineers proposed a number of technical and constructive measures: vibration damping of the rail neck and ballast mats were applied in areas adjacent to residential buildings, reducing noise and vibration levels to standard values. In addition, when laying the line, a joint-free rail connection mechanism and a special anti-vibration coating were used, which made it possible to achieve a smoother ride of the wagons. The regulatory noise impact in these territories was ensured by replacing windows for residential buildings located within the boundaries of the tram line design and reconstruction of the road network.

On the section of the tram line along Uspensky Prospekt in Verkhnyaya Pyshma from Petrov Street to Concentrator Street, an innovative design of the track's upper structure was applied on tram reinforced concrete anchor sleepers coated with large-sized reinforced concrete slabs. Rubber rail profiles were used to install the gutter, as well as to reduce noise and vibration levels in the structure.

In the adopted design decisions, the tram line is provided outside the existing carriageway, and due to its almost complete isolation from the highway, the speed of movement of the tram practically does not depend on its traffic.

The design took into account the interests of not only passengers, but also residents of the districts of Yekaterinburg and Verkhnyaya Pyshma adjacent to the line. At the intersection of the projected tram line and the Uralmashzavod access railway, the design documentation provided for the construction of a new railway overpass with the passage of the tram line on the right side of Cosmonauts Avenue outside its carriageway, which avoided the reconstruction of the avenue, repair and trimming cones. With this decision, houses along Kosmonavtov Avenue were demolished only on the even-numbered side of the street.

On one of the sites next to the tram line there is a lake and a swampy area, which necessitated the construction of an improvised dam and work to strengthen the soil under the canvas.

The tram was launched on August 31, 2022. The implementation of this project has made it possible to unload Cosmonauts Avenue, ensure transport accessibility to promising residential neighborhoods, large shopping malls and a wooded area, as well as increase the speed and comfort of passenger movement with the minimum possible number of transfers.