High barbed cable fences preventing access beneath each major connection.

And guard homes at each tunnel portal.

I ran across A russian railfan forum, in which the reason behind these safety measures was mentioned.

VeschiiOleg had written: for instance, the method of any bridge that is serious enclosed by way of a area of alienation with barbed wire, indications and armed guards.

Vlad wrote: We photograph the railway connection, for instance. The ВОХРовец is approaching us and politely is interested, but on which foundation have you been using these pictures?

VeschiiOleg published: ВОХРовец, based on the statute associated with the guard solution they don’t have legal rights to go out of the center, those because of the territory he must not keep. But to call the police – easily. And then they will be right if on the fence, there are inscriptions about the prohibition of filming.

Just what exactly would be the ВОХРовец? It’s an abbreviation for Военизированная охрана – also known as Ведомственная охрана, Russian-language Wikipedia defines them as:

Specialised state departmental armed units accountable for protecting structures, structures, cars, and cargo from illegal assaults. They’ve the ability to utilize armed forces and solution firearms, as well as solution dogs, handcuffs, plastic batons, and strips that are spike to quit cars. Officials of state protection that is departmental by federal state systems) have actually the ability to set up protocols on administrative offences, execute personal queries, inspect items belonging to individuals, inspect automobiles and other procedural actions founded by the Code of Administrative Offences regarding the Russian Federation.

The Russian Railways are protected by the «Ведомственная охрана железнодорожного транспорта Российской Федерации» (Departmental protection provider of Railway Transport associated with the Russian Federation) – who describe on their own as a result:

The Federal State Enterprise “Departmental Protection associated with the Federal Agency for Railway Transport” carries down its tasks based on the Resolution regarding the federal Government associated with Russian Federation of 27, 2009, No. 540 “On Approval of this legislation on Departmental Protection regarding the Federal Agency for Railway Transport. june”

The Federal State Enterprise “Departmental Protection of Railway Transport regarding the Russian Federation” for almost 90 years has guaranteed the security for the cargo being transported, the security of things together with fire security of railway transportation into the passions for the state, residents while the business “RZhD” all over the metal highways from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin.

Today the protection that is departmental of railway transportation has 68,000 workers, with more than 2400 things of railway infrastructure protected, including a lot more than 1900 most critical people.

Significantly more than 400 fire inspectors perform fire prevention at fixed facilities and rolling stock. In constant readiness for action are 307 fire trains, including 67 specialised, with additional capabilities that are tactical eradicate emergencies with dangerous products.

In addition they flaunt their work protecting bridges that are major.

Along with railway tunnels.

So just why are such considerable safety measures in position?

Somebody for a railway that is russian asked exactly the same concern, and received different explanations:

Kirill N.Kravchenko The undeniable fact that the railway bridges are incredibly greatly guarded is understandable, nobody doubts it is necessary. But I’ve constantly wondered: exactly why are car bridges not too zealously protected?

Victor Mikhailov in the eventuality of a major accident in the train such as for instance bridge collapse, the results is likely to be a whole lot more significant when compared with a road connection. Any automobile could have time for you to stop seeing ahead regarding the barrier. In addition road bridges are much more many than train connection, so it will be impractical to protect most of the bridges (how to locate a lot of guards).

Novikov S.V. its easier for road cars to locate a detour, or engineering troops can erect a pontoon bridge that is temporary. Blowing up a railway connection means complete paralysis associated with path before the connection is wholly restored.

Sura i realize that people are dealing with “big” unique bridges. Standard railway bridge over the river that is small be restored in a really quick area from pre-prepared sets. Really, that is why they may not be protected.

But this article that is russian-language Евразия Вести suggests an infinitely more most likely explanation – Soviet-era paranoia.

Following October Revolution railway facilities of strategic importance had been underneath the security associated with the department that is military security of “external purchase, deanery and general general public safety” ended up being performed by components of the railway guard while the authorities. Cargoes, property and methods had been underneath the care of watchmen, who had been in complete subordination to those whoever good that they had protected.

To be able to bolster the leadership, in March 1918 an unique decree ended up being used “On the centralisation of administration, the security of railways therefore the enhance of the efficiency”. The Office of Protection was established by the decree of the government of July 17 of the same year, under the People’s Commissariat of Railways ( NKPS.

The squad on the floor included transportation specialists. They fought decisively against stowaways and people whom attempted to transport items without re payment, along with monitoring the effectiveness of rolling stock usage. It had been envisaged to improve the true amount of security staff to 70 thousand individuals.

The authorities could not tolerate theft and chaos in the railways. Looters slice the telegraph cables. Profiteers swarmed trains, like locusts. Concealed had been robbers, bandits along with other unlawful element.

The NKPS had been forced to simply just take measures that are extreme. During the channels, warehouses, warehouses temporarily formed protection that is non-military. In terms of bridges along with other structures perhaps maybe not guarded by troops, along with railway songs, they went underneath the tutelage of regional authorities, which formed out of brigade workers.

Some propaganda that is few

A video clip through the Voronezh branch to mark 95 many years of railway guards, whom protect the Southern Eastern Railway.

And through the Samara branch, whom protect the railway connection on the Volga River from the Kuybyshev Railway.

Footnote

Ministry of Railways of this USSR directive No-298y «Типовые решения по оборудованию инженерными средствами охраны на искусственных сооружениях, охраняемых военизированной охраной МПС» (Typical solutions for equipping engineering facilities for security on man-made structures protected by paramilitary security for the Ministry of Railways) dated 2 February 1990 details the fencing criteria around limited areas.

According to clause 2.1.1, the boundaries for the limited area are protected with a barbed cable fence (tape or inter inter net) in 12 threads 2 m extreme. Into the surface, they truly are designated by indicators 2 m high above the bottom surface, installed over the fence line from the inside through every 50 meters when you look at the enclosure for the area that is restricted be arranged gates and wickets. Prior to clause 2.2.3, from the view articles, led (rotary) floodlights for the PFS type (without lenses) ukrainian dating or other narrow-beam floodlights are made to boost the equipping associated with the landscapes away from limited area. According to paragraph 4.1, articles when it comes to security of artificial structures.

As the «По организации работы караулов ФГП ВО ЖДТ РФ» (process of organising those activities of Departmental protection provider of Railway Transport regarding the Russian Federation) dated 21 September 2010 specifies one other safety features needed.

In accordance with clause 2.4.1 of this manual a security system is made to deliver security when it comes to protected item, which include: guard, articles, sales, places and paths, surveillance sectors, engineering and technical way of security, articles of solution dogs, means and other forces. Gear posts should give you the guard: an adequate breakdown of all parts of the post while the surrounding area; adequate lighting regarding the methods to the thing, its most significant points; lack of lighting (blinding) by lighting systems of safety equipment and guards; the likelihood of centralised handling of the whole illumination system or a small grouping of fixtures, plus in necessary situations, split lamps (projectors).

Gear of limited areas includes: their fencing, checkpoint, indicators, indicative and delimiting indications, a safety illumination system, technical safety gear, postal interaction and signalling, guard articles, protective structures. With regards to the nature associated with item in addition to conditions of its location, the fence is made round the border associated with web site while the boundaries regarding the limited areas. When erecting a fence, it should be taken into consideration so it should be rectilinear, without unnecessary bends observation that is limiting no less than one . 5 meters in height. To it must not adjoin any structures. The approaches to the post and the protected object should be illuminated so that the sentry, being on the post or moving along the site of the post, was in the shade in the darkness of the day. According to the established procedure, protection illumination should offer lighting in the boundaries.