Why does the tram run underground in Volgograd?

Kirill Braga/Sputnik

It is a kind of a hybrid of a subway train and a tram. In other words, it looks like an ordinary tram, but some stations are located underground.

Metrotram in 1987.

Davydov/Sputnik

The Volgograd high-speed tram has been operating since 1984. The city was growing rapidly and needed to develop public transportation. In Soviet times, only million-plus populated cities were justified having a subway system, but the city of Volgograd had less population back then.

Yekaterina Kuzmina/RBC/TASS

So, it was decided to run a high-speed tram that would also go underground. In the future, the stations could be converted into subway stations by raising the height of the platform.

Legion Media

Today, the Volgograd ‘metrotram’ is part of the city's general tram system. In total, there are 22 stations on its routes, of which five are underground; there is also one covered overpass. There are a total of two routes on which both old and new trams operate. 

Kirill Braga/Sputnik

The ‘metrotram’ is isolated from other traffic both subway and above ground, making it the fastest mode of transportation in the city. 

Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik

Dear readers,

Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:

• Subscribe to our Telegram channel
• Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
• Enable push notifications for our website
• Install a VPN service on your computer and/or phone to have access to our website, even if it is blocked in your country

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.