Due to the large-scale power outage in Dnipro caused by a power shortage due to Russian enemy attack, the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure of the City Council has put public transport in emergency mode. Despite the complete shutdown of electric transport, the city has ensured stable passenger transportation through additional reserves of bus routes.
According to Ivan Vasyuchkov, Deputy Head of the Transport Department of the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure of the City Council, the situation in the city remains under control.
“Due to the sudden power outage on the evening of January 7, more than 40 trams and almost 60 trolleybuses remained on the routes. During the night, all trolleybuses were towed to the depot. Trams that could not be moved due to the difficult terrain were quickly removed from intersections so as not to impede the movement of other transport. Our power engineers work in close cooperation with transport workers. We are partially connecting individual traction substations to be able to move trams on difficult sections, in particular on uphill and downhill slopes, where towing with conventional equipment is impossible,” said Ivan Vasyuchkov.
The work of the metro was suspended immediately after the power went out. Thanks to the coordinated actions of the staff, about 30 passengers who were in the tunnels at the time of the blackout were successfully evacuated.
“All metro employees are acting according to clear instructions. The dispatchers removed the voltage from the contact rail, which allowed people to safely exit the station. They continue to function as a shelter during air raids. We expect that, provided the power supply is stabilized, the metro will be able to resume operation tomorrow,” said Ivan Vasyuchkov.
To compensate for the lack of electric transport in the city, bus routes have been increased. The number of buses on the lines was increased from 510 to 580 units. The main emphasis is on routes that duplicate tram and trolleybus routes.
“We are grateful to the bus drivers, many of whom went on their weekends despite difficulties with communication at night. We are currently observing a decrease in passenger traffic, as a significant part of Dnipro residents have switched to remote work. The available bus resource is sufficient to avoid collapse. We continue to monitor the situation around the clock. An operational decision on the traffic schedules for the next day will be made tonight, depending on the power supply limits,” added Ivan Vasyuchkov. (Dnipro City Council)