River station: Ulyanovsk - Samara. Photo report.
"Simbirsk harbor". Fantasies and promises are 4 years old

I will not occupy your time with figures on passenger transportation, on organizing regional delivery of passengers along suburban routes, passenger transportation to the cities of the Volga region and neighboring regions, cruises for vacationers and tourists from the Ulyanovsk River Station. They simply don't exist. An hour-long walk along the Volga from the old bridge to the new one or to Krasny Yar, if the ship has the required number of passengers, is not considered either tourism or passenger transportation.

To verify this, just look at the official website of the Ulyanovsk river port and see the section “ Tourism" Not passenger transportation and tourism, not the organization of new routes, but holding banquets, buffets, an incendiary presenter and a fashionable DJ have become the priority activities of the Ulyanovsk river port.

What were you planning four years ago? Let's look at quotes from the media:

July 3, 2009 "Ulyanovskaya Pravda"
The Ulyanovsk river port should become the main logistics center of the Volga Federal District

In the near future, we will closely study the experience of other regions in the development of the river industry. As part of the strategic development of the region, there is an intention to turn the river port into the main transport and logistics center with state financial participation, which will connect cargo flows to Mordovia, Samara, and the Republic of Tatarstan by waterways, said Governor Sergei Morozov at an offsite meeting in Ulyanovsk river port.

At the meeting, the Simbirsk Harbor project of the Ulyanovsk river port was presented, which is aimed at developing water passenger transport, organization of cultural and entertainment infrastructure on the territory of the port. The volume of investments exceeds 105 million rubles.

I would like to draw your attention to the opening hours of ticket sales offices. One cash desk is open 24 hours a day:

There is no turnstile, no electronic access, no security guards. There is free access to the pier through this door:

And I go out to the pier, show you everything that I see myself:

P.S.
Kazan River Station (without 2-meter fences) and with free access to the pier:

Cheboksary River Station:

This statement by the head of the region, Sergei Morozov, recently spread across the local media and caused great surprise among the owners of the water transport business. Most of all, he reported this news not at the negotiating table, but through journalists.

Experts are perplexed as to how one can “return” to state ownership something that already belongs to it. If we are talking about infrastructure - the pier and the water area, then they are already there. Perhaps, through deprivation of infrastructure, there is a desire to change the operator conducting commercial activities in the field of freight and passenger transportation? But desire alone - even with all the desire - is not enough. It would do well to think first about the economic and social consequences, the main ones being the loss of jobs for hundreds of people. If the pier and water area are taken away, how will the cargo port work? And it’s not a fact that under the auspices of the regional authorities they will create something different from what exists, taking into account the “successful” experience of organizing, and then the high-profile bankruptcy of all kinds of OGUPs.

Orders - from outside

The Ulyanovsk river port was privatized in the same way as thousands of enterprises throughout the country. Infrastructure facilities have been leased out for commercial activities - berths, water areas, buildings, structures, and so on - and it should be noted, with the inalienable right of privatization, which the owners of the river port can carry out at any time after the adoption of regulations and mechanisms at the legislative level. And no matter what kind of property it is - federal or regional.

They gave us a “fishing rod” to catch “fish” - to develop business, create jobs, pay taxes and replenish budgets at all levels. The Ulyanovsk river port operates stably, despite the absence of any subsidies. We don’t even have the opportunity to fully participate in intra-regional cooperation. The Ulyanovsk region does not purchase sand from us. We offer well-cleaned, twice-washed sand for road construction, which means quality and operational reliability. Or maybe Ulyanovsk roads are some of the worst in the country because they use low-quality materials?.. We are looking for external customers, obtaining materials for other regions. Thus, in 2014-2015, 1,500 thousand tons of excellent river sand, in 2014 to Tatarstan - 950 thousand tons, in 2016 to Samara - 1210.8 thousand tons. The order from the Ulyanovsk region in 2014-2015 was zero, in 2016 - 36 thousand tons, says Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ulyanovsk River Port Yuri Kolpakov.

In 2010, a “green parking lot” was built in Krasny Yar with an extended pier for mooring ships. Photo: From personal archive/ Mikhail Mishin

Can't build

Where do you think to put the comma?..

In the light “returning the river port to state ownership” it is about attracting investors whose investments should pay off. In the meantime, conditions have been created only for sponsors. Because in Ulyanovsk there are no roads to the port, there is no investment in updating infrastructure and communications, there is no training for the river industry. There is only one answer: do it yourself,” explains Chairman of the Board of Directors Yuri Kolpakov. - That’s what we do: we train personnel at our own expense in other cities, maintain the infrastructure in a suitable condition, and subsidize it from the profits from the cargo port Passenger Transportation, while in other regions this is done on parity terms with the regional budget. Last time, in response to a letter regarding the problem of lack of access roads, we were offered to repair the road along Nagornaya Street on our own. Everything would be fine, but this is the only freight passage that, in the absence of an alternative, should not be in private hands, and for which we will receive another charge,” says Yuri Borisovich. - But there will be additional questions for the authorities! In 2010, for cargo captains and passenger ships approved the regional award. Every year, 300 thousand rubles were allocated for their encouragement and material support for the titles “Best Workers of the River Industry of the Ulyanovsk Region,” but not for long. This regional award has not been presented since 2015.

Just swim

People at the river port joke that soon they will only be accessible by swimming. The port has been in permanent isolation for more than 10 years. From 1998 to 2005, the overpass was closed for repairs, and at that time they “turned their backs” on Ulyanovsk and stopped visiting cruise ships, because it was impossible to get into the city, they were removed from the route public transport, the pedestrian staircase has not been repaired for decades. To be fair, it must be said that the renovation was done only in 2016.

And today, due to the lack of access roads in standard condition, shippers are reluctant to work with the port: Imperial Bridge for travel freight transport, “cargo eight” on the descent of Stepan Razin are closed. Only Nagornaya Street remains - “ Bermuda Triangle» on land, a dead road where KamAZ trucks get stuck.

But that's not all. Now the territory of the Ulyanovsk river port has been completely included in a landslide zone, which is not and never was. This means that no reconstruction - by the way, regarding the repair of the river station and the construction of new facilities - cannot be carried out, and the enterprise should be closed, because mooring and loading work in such areas is unacceptable. While 40-ton trucks were prohibited from entering the port, 3,600-ton trains were allowed to enter the port...

Ships came into our harbor

The fact that passenger ships do not want to come to us because of our river port is not true,” says the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ulyanovsk Port. - We provide comprehensive fleet services: we accept them for mooring, provide water, fuel and lubricants, and collect waste. Riverport is not an attraction and not a tour operator - people buying a ticket for a river cruise are interested in seeing the city. And why Ulyanovsk does not arouse interest, only specialists can answer this question professionally. By the way, we have companies organizing river cruises, and not at all. True, the fact that motor ships enter the harbor through the breakwater for an hour and a half is a feature of the water area. We came up with a proposal to the regional authorities to move the passenger port, as in other cities, to more comfortable spot“between the Imperial and Presidential bridges,” says Yuri Borisovich. - There is a direct approach for motor ships, cable car, stairs, exit directly to the Venets embankment. It will be an interesting climb, save time, and there is every chance of getting into cruise routes. The Ulyanovsk river port is ready for public-private partnership to implement this project: build a station, a pier, and their maintenance.

The river port is worried that the lack of access roads for freight transport will lead to a decrease in the performance of the cargo port, from whose profits passenger transportation is financed. Today our port operates pleasure cruises on two ships. Using our own investments, in 2010 a “green parking lot” was built in Krasny Yar on the banks of the Volga, where, by the way, an extended pier allows all types of ships to moor. But there is no intraregional and intercity transportation as before.

Without subsidies it’s like without water

Let's look at the situation sensibly, says Yuri Kolpakov. - A motor ship is not a rubber boat that can drop anchor anywhere. Special mooring conditions must be created for it: berth, deepening, service at the pier. All the piers in the region are abandoned and washed away, the piers are located in places where it is simply inconvenient for people to get to and from. This is one reason. Secondly, passenger transportation must have a customer, probably the authorities, whose task is to solve transport issues using taxpayers’ money. It is possible to organize intra-regional river routes provided that there are subsidies from the budget, otherwise it will place a financial burden on passengers. River transport- not cheap. Are you ready to pay 1.5 thousand rubles and walk 4-6 hours to a populated area in the Ulyanovsk region, when you can get there by bus in 1-1.5 hours, for example, for 200-300 rubles? Do you think there will be passenger traffic?..

Constantly being in power, modest river workers, who talk so little about themselves in the media, do not lose courage. And there’s no time - there’s navigation ahead. As soon as the ice melts, freight traffic will open, and on May 1, pleasure boats will sail along the Volga...

The language of numbers

The business efficiency of the Ulyanovsk river port is confirmed by figures. Since the 2000s, the volume of freight and passenger traffic has doubled - from 800 thousand before 1591 thousand tons and s 15 thousand before 30 thousand passengers to navigation. The material and technical base of the port has increased significantly: the cargo and passenger fleet has been increased due to the reconstruction and acquisition of ships, the number of reloading equipment, and floating equipment have been increased. In 2000, the company had 5 tugboats at its disposal, in 2016 - 10 , the number of barges has increased from 7 before 15 units, their tonnage - s 17.5 thousand before 41 thousand tons, due to the reconstruction of the second passenger ship passenger capacity is now 260 man instead 155 .

Loading and unloading operations involve 10 portal cranes, five front loaders (there was one) and two weighbridges (there was one). For the extraction of nonmetallic building materials The floating mechanization fleet has been tripled - three dredgers, three hydraulic loaders, and two floating cranes are used. Two sand unloading sites were built, including one outside the Ulyanovsk region, but there were none. Two more licenses for the development of sand quarries were received. The number of activities has been increased from three to five. While in Russia as a whole, three cargo ports are closed or on the verge of collapse every year. An example of this is Nizhny Novgorod, Balakovsky, in Kineshma. Passenger ports thrive thanks to subsidies. Tatarstan is 60 million rubles, Cheboksary - 9 million rubles, Samara - 20 million rubles per year. Ulyanovsk - 0 . So before comparing ports, it would be logical to compare the attitude of local authorities towards them.

The schedule of motor ships of the Ulyanovsk river port includes an hour and a half day trip at 13.00 “Imperial Bridge - Presidential Bridge” and an hour-long evening trip at 19.00 along the Kuibyshev Reservoir.

These flights will operate until the end of August. The flight “Rechport - Imperial Bridge - Presidential Bridge” is a walk along the Volga lasting 1.5 hours. During it you can see the legendary railway “Imperial Bridge”, built in tsarist times, as well as the modern engineering structure “Presidential Bridge” - one of the largest in Europe and one of the largest river bridges in the world. The evening cruise on the Kuibyshev Reservoir departs at 19.00, it provides an opportunity for those who work, want to complete or continue their vacation or weekend program with a vacation on the Volga. Let us remind you that the motor ships of the Ulyanovsk river port “Moskovsky-20” and “Hero Yuri Em” sail daily. Every day at 11.00, 13.00, 15.00, 17.00 and 19.00 you can ride along the Kuibyshev Reservoir. From Thursday to Friday there are evening flights to Krasny Yar: in the morning at 9.00 and in the evening at 17.00. Ticket price: for a walk along the Kuibyshev Reservoir - 250-350 rubles. for adults, 150-170 rub. for children under 10 years old, children under 5 years old – free; on the route “Ulyanovsk - Krasny Yar - Ulyanovsk” - 350 rubles. for adults, 170 rub. for children under 10 years old, children under 5 years old – free;

Ulyanovsk (formerly Simbirsk) is a city located in the European part of the Russian Federation, having the status of an urban district and located on the Volga Upland, on the banks of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the Volga and Sviyaga rivers, closer to the confluence of the rivers. The founding date of the settlement is considered to be 1648; today it is home to about 620 thousand people.

Geographical and climatic features

The city territory is located on a hilly plain. Height above sea level - from 80 to 160 meters. In the right-hand side of the settlement, ups and downs are more common. The climate here is moderate continental, but slightly drier than in the center of the country. The average annual atmospheric temperature is +5 degrees. The Ulyanovsk river port is located within the city limits. The average duration of navigation on the Volga is 195-200 days. The port is a link between other modes of transport: road and rail.

History of appearance

Also in pre-revolutionary Russia the city was of great strategic importance, being a center of grain trade. All loading and unloading operations in the port at that time were carried out manually due to the extreme steepness of the coast.

After the completion of construction, which led to the deepening and expansion of the Volga bed, construction began on the territory of the port for the construction of a modern river reception and departure point. From 1952 to 1961, a dam and dam 12 meters high were erected.

Already in the 60s of the last century, the Ulyanovsk river port began to flourish, and it began to be called The heyday of the enterprise occurred in the 80s, the volume of loading and unloading work was constantly increasing (the calculation was in the millions of tons). Like most enterprises, in the 90s, the port began to decline. Vessels were written off, passengers were transported from time to time, but the enterprise continued to operate.

In the early 2000s, the Ulyanovsk river port began to slowly come to life. Even boat trips have resumed. In 2009, the motor ship OM-401 was repaired, put into operation and plows the waters under a new name - “Hero Yuri Em”. There are also excursions on the motor ship "Moskovsky-20".

Tourist and walking routes

The port offers residents and guests of the city excursion cruises along the Kuibyshev Reservoir. In 1.5 hours you can see two legendary bridges of the city - “Imperial (road and railway, built in 1916) and “Presidential” (built in 2009)

For those wishing to relax at the “green parking lot” and the recreation center “Green Yar”, regular tourist flight, travel time - 45 minutes.

The ships correspond to modern concepts of comfort; the cabin has an air conditioning and heat ventilation system.

Both ships have the opportunity to host festive events and receptions, including weddings. "Hero Yuri Em" accommodates 108 people on board, and "Moskovsky-20" - 150 people.

OJSC "Rechport Ulyanovsk" offers chartering of vessels for individual transportation both within the Kuibyshev Reservoir and for longer voyages. Tourist routes is handled by the Simbirskaya Gavan company, which operates in the port area.

Shipping company

The river port of Ulyanovsk has cargo and passenger berths. The territory has crane tracks and 11 portal cranes (one of them with a lifting capacity of 100 tons). The company owns warehouse space of 4,500 square meters. m., of these areas 3 are closed warehouses.

The port, like most enterprises in the country, was privatized in the 2000s. It cannot be said that the economic recovery at the enterprise began immediately, but there are still some improvements.

If we compare it with the 2000s, today the volume of freight and passenger traffic has increased, from 8 thousand to 15,910 thousand tons. And there are already twice as many passengers being transported; in the 2000s it was only 15 thousand, but now it is 30 thousand per navigation season.

In 2000, the company had 5 towing units, in 2016 - already 10. Barges also doubled; previously there were only 7 working platforms, now there are 15.

Do not forget that most ports receive subsidies from the local budget, for example, 60 million rubles were allocated in Tatarstan, and 20 million in Samara. The Ulyanovsk river port has not received a penny from the local or federal budget.

Contemporary issues

Not long ago, the port management was stunned by the statement of the governor of the Ulyanovsk region, Sergei Morozov. The official stated that it is necessary to return the Ulyanovsk river port to municipal ownership. Everyone in Ulyanovsk is outraged, including local residents, because there is a big risk that hundreds of employees will lose their jobs.

The port management is rightly indignant, because local authorities They don't help at all. The port independently maintains its infrastructure and trains personnel in other cities. According to the administration, in response to the last request to resolve the issue with the access roads, local authorities offered to carry out their repairs at their own expense. The lack of access roads makes it impossible to cooperate with shippers; as a result, the port can only be reached by the “killed” road along Nagornaya Street. And these are not the only problems that, I would like to believe, the port will cope with.

The pier in Simbirsk (Ulyanovsk since 1924) has existed for a long time. Before the 1917 revolution, the city was an important center of grain trade. Although in those years there was an obstacle in the form of an uncomfortable unpaved, with a high degree of steepness, ascent from the bank of the Volga up into the city. Until 1924, all loading and unloading operations in the Simbirsk (Ulyanovsk) port were carried out manually.

After the war, in connection with the construction of the Volzhskaya hydroelectric station and the subsequent deepening and expansion of the bed of the Volga River, the construction of a modern river port began in Ulyanovsk. During the period from 1952 to 1961, a huge artificial dam 12 meters high was built and a dam was erected. A new cargo port was built on the left bank - Zavolzhsky district.

In 1965, a new River Station(on the right bank of the Volga, in the Zheleznodorozhny district. It was built of reinforced concrete, steel and glass and all amenities for passengers were provided.

In the 60s, the Ulyanovsk river port became a port of five seas.

In the 80s, the heyday of the port, the volume of loading and unloading operations there amounted to millions of tons. Among the passenger ships were hydrofoils, which could quickly get to the neighboring Volga cities (Kazan, Kuibyshev and others) and settlements areas.

In the early 90s, the port began to decline. All hydrofoil ships were written off, and regular passenger transportation ceased. But the cargo port continued to operate.

At the end of the 2000s, such a trend as boat trips became somewhat revived. For this purpose, in 2009, the motor ship OM-401 was re-put into operation, renamed "Hero Yuri Em". The Simbirsk Harbor project was launched.

Compound high-speed fleet and years of operation:

  • "Meteor-18" (1963 - 19xx)
  • "Meteor-29" (1964 - 1984)
  • "Meteor-54" (1966 - 1986)
  • "Meteor-79" (1969 - 1991, decommissioned from 1992, cut up in the mid-90s)
  • "Meteor-151" (1979 - 1994, from 1995 to 1998 cold sediment on the territory of OJSC "Ulyanovsk River Port", cut in 1998)
  • "Meteor-180" (1983 - 1992, from 1993 to 1999 cold sediment on the territory of OJSC "Ulyanovsk River Port", cut in 1999)
  • "Meteor-211" (1985 - 1998, since 1999 cold sediment on the territory of OJSC "Ulyanovsk River Port")
  • "Meteor-216" (1986 - 1999, since 2000 cold sediment on the territory of OJSC "Ulyanovsk River Port")
  • "Meteor-226" (1988 - 1992, since 1993 cold sediment on the territory of OJSC "Ulyanovsk River Port")
  • "Comet-10" (1978 - 1991, from 1992 to 1996 it was leased to the Baltic, in 1997 it was sold to Greece)

Composition of the displacement fleet and years of operation:

  • "MO-12" (19 - 19)
  • "MO-117" (19 - 19)
  • "OM-158" (19 - 19)
  • "OM-161" (19 - 19)
  • "OM-317" (19 - 19)
  • "OM-319" (19 - 19)
  • "OM-401" (19 - 19) (since 1996 it was under reconstruction, in 2009 it was put into operation, renamed "Hero Yuri EM")
  • "Moscow-20" (1988 - present)
  • SCHEDULE:
  • 1994 berth No. 7
  • express lines
  • Bely Yar - Kazan - Bely Yar
  • 1995 berth No. 5
  • express lines
  • 1996 berth No. 5
  • express lines
  • Ulyanovsk - Kazan - Ulyanovsk
  • Ulyanovsk - Naberezhnye Chelny
  • 1997 berth No. 5
  • express lines
  • Ulyanovsk - Kazan - Ulyanovsk
  • 1998 berth No. 5
  • express lines
  • Ulyanovsk - Kazan - Ulyanovsk
  • Ulyanovsk - Samara - Ulyanovsk
  • 1999 berth No. 2
  • express lines
  • Ulyanovsk - Togliatti - Ulyanovsk
  • 2006
  • Pleasure cruises berth No. 2
  • 2007
  • Pleasure cruises berth No. 2
  • 2008
  • Pleasure cruises berth No. 2
  • year 2009
  • Pleasure cruises berth No. 7
  • 2010
  • Pleasure cruises berth No. 2