The regional stage of the All-Russian Transport Olympiad took place in Samara

This week the regional stage of the All-Russian Transport Olympiad 2024, organized by the Association of Off-Street Transport Employers of Russia, is taking place in Samara. At the same time, the Olympics are being held in other Russian cities. The event is designed to support young people who are interested in the work of underground urban public transport.

In Samara, the children were given a tour of the metro. The Olympiad participants visited the Alabinskaya metro station. Here they were shown which departments function in the “subway”, what are the features of the technical component, what devices and mechanisms ensure the uninterrupted and reliable operation of the Samara metro. Of particular interest were the services of track and tunnel structures, rolling stock, power supply, signaling and communications, as well as the electromechanical escalator service. Note that each metro station is equipped with technical complexes hidden from the eyes of passengers, and these are multi-story buildings underground, essentially a “city within a city.”

The competitors also visited the Kirovskoye electric depot, where they saw how electric trains were undergoing maintenance and preparing to be put on the line. In addition, the guys toured the Yugorodok metro station, where the history of the Samara metro began, and at the Metro Administration they studied exhibits of the specialized museum.

Experts are confident that the knowledge gained will help Samara schoolchildren demonstrate good results at the Transport Olympiad and, perhaps, earn tickets to the 2024 thematic session at the Artek International Children’s Center.

Later, on April 25, the teenagers were able to show their knowledge. Two teams in the age category from 12 to 15 years old presented their projects “Advanced Solutions” and “Samara Impulse”.

According to Sergei Shamin, director of the Samara Metro, the competition participants showed genuine interest in the work of our metro and a desire to implement solutions that could popularize this type of transport.

The “Advanced Solutions for My City” project proposed introducing “smart” stops equipped with special navigation, with convenient functionality and design. These are comfortable pavilions where you can find out the transport schedule, read stories and information about the attractions of the inner-city area in which passengers are currently waiting for the train.

The Samara Impulse project proposes to improve service in the Samara metro and introduce discounts on metro trips for those who are active in sports. In particular, a model is described in which a discount can be used on the day of the race and on training days. Schoolchildren believe that this approach can be scaled up to include participants in sporting events taking place along the Volga River embankment. During the registration process, participants can receive a QR code, which can be used at the metro station and pay for the trip at a discount.

Both projects received high marks from the commission, gaining the same number of points – 99. As a result, both teams were allowed to participate in the finals of the competition, which will be held via videoconference in mid-May.

As Oleg Yakhin, deputy director of the Samara Metro MP, noted, the participants demonstrated a competent approach when choosing the topic of their project and were able to reveal it.
“It’s also good that the younger generation is interested in the work of the metro. Schoolchildren propose new approaches that could make travel on public transport more attractive for passengers, commented Oleg Yakhin. – Time will tell whether school projects will get a start in life.

This kind of competition is being organized for the first time.