РОССИЙСКИЕ ЖЕЛЕЗНЫЕ ДОРОГИ
Россия – одна из стран мира с высокоразвитым железнодорожным транспортом. Сеть железных дорог пронизывает страну с севера на юг и с запада на восток. Стальные магистрали соединяют самые отдалённые регионы страны с центром. Железная дорога – наиболее популярный вид грузовых и пассажирских перевозок.
Поезда дальнего следования, как правило, приспособлены на пребывание в них как в дневное время, так и в вечернее время. Они имеют 1-2 вагона-ресторана. Расстояние от одной конечной станции маршрута до другой может быть таким большим, что пассажирам приходится проводить в одном и том же поезде до 8-10 дней. В случае, если нет прямого поезда до места назначения, необходимо делать пересадку на узловых станциях. Часто нестыковка времени прибытия и отправления поездов приводит к потере времени и усложняет саму поездку.
Поезда дальнего следования бывают двух типов: скорые и пассажирские. Пассажирские поезда останавливаются даже на самых маленьких станциях.
Есть ещё один тип поездов, которые в своём составе имеют пассажирские вагоны – это почтовые поезда. Поездки на них тянутся долго, и такие вагоны практически не используются на современных железных дорогах.
Между расположенными недалеко друг от друга городами ходят электрички, перевозя пассажиров из дома на работу и обратно. Утром и вечером они ходят чаще, чем днём, и между 12 часами ночи и 5 часами утра – перерыв.
TEXT B
Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary.
RIO REVIVES THE COMMUTER RAIL NETWORK
Rio de Janeiro’s suburban railway network has a long history of deterioration. It could have disappeared entirely by now but for the fact that it was privatized in 1998. SuperVia (the new private owner of the Rio commuter network) began the slow process of reviving railway network. SuperVia inherited a large number of serious problems. Signaling did not work properly. Only 35 out of a fleet of 180 four-car trains were operational, some of them only barely. The condition of the track was poor, and only 50% of all journeys were completed, such was the frequency of breakdowns. Several accidents that occurred soon after privatization also gave SuperVia a very bad public reputation at the outset, but the company quickly took measures. The worst sections of track were replaced and the others were upgraded. Besides, SuperVia began rebuilding emus* and this work has increased the number of the working emus to 126 trains, while another 48 emus are currently being restored. All the new and rebuilt emus are air-conditioned, an important design element in the tropical climate of Rio. In addition, 20 km of rails, 50,000 sleepers and 83 switches** have been replaced. The system of power supply is being upgraded and all 30 stations are being refurbished***. Drainage has also been improved to overcome serious flooding problems, which have halted traffic in the past.
These measures have worked. Reputation of SuperVia is rapidly improving and passengers have begun to come back. In 1998 the network carried just 170,000 passengers a day but in 2003 traffic has reached 300,000 riders a day. The ultimate aim is to increase passenger traffic to 1.4 million customers.
SuperVia’s image has been restored to such extent that the newly elected left-wing state government, opposed in principle to privatization, has admitted that the operator is doing a really good job!
Notes: * emu (electric-multiple unit) – электричка
**switch – стрелочный перевод
***to refurbish – реставрировать, модернизировать, обновить
Ex.24. Choose the appropriate word combinations to complete the sentences.
1) Having privatized Rio’s suburban railway network, SuperVia …
a) increased fares. b) began refurbishing emus. c) fired all locomotive drivers.
2) SuperVia had to replace…
a) the system of power supply. b) the system of signaling. c) the worst sections of track.
3) The new and rebuilt emus are equipped with…
a) air-conditioning systems. b) computers and fax machines. c) long-distance telephones.
4) In 1998 the railway network carried…
a) 1.4 million riders a day. b) 170,000 passengers a month. c) 170,000 customers a day.
5) The ultimate aim of SuperVia is…
a) to increase the number of employees. b) to increase passenger traffic. c) to increase train fare.
TEXT C
Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary.
INDIA’S RAILWAY PROJECT
The first plans for constructing a railway line along the west coast of India were proposed in 1880s but they were not carried out. A feeble attempt to extend the line from Bombay to Mangalore was made much later, but between 1964 and 1986 only 100 km of track were laid down. In 1990 the Konkani Railway Corporation was formed to build the remaining 760 km within 5 years. The new railway linking Bombay with Mangalore was inaugurated in 1996. It is 1127 km shorter than the old route.
The reduction in distance enabled the Konkani Railway to decrease the journey time. Even if trains run at a maximum of only 100 km per hour, the journey time between Bombay and Mangalore will come down from 41 hours to 15 hours. Train speeds of 130 km per hour or 160 km per hour will provide time savings that are even more spectacular. Besides it had been estimated that fuel saving of more than Rs2 billion was achieved.
About 11% of line goes through tunnels. These tunnels are equipped with sensors to monitor air contamination, temperature and visibility. The ventilation system is activated automatically via the data obtained from the sensors. The exact position of a train within the tunnel is indicated on a panel in the traffic control room* at the tunnel entrance. The Konkani Railway has the longest railway tunnel in India (6.5 km), the tallest viaduct in Asia (the 64 m). There are 2,134 bridges on the line.
An integrated computerized system covering trains control and scheduling, ticketing, rolling stock monitoring has been developed for the line operation – another innovation for India.
The Konkani Railway has a considerable impact on the lives of more than 10 million people who live in its adjacent area. Construction has already provided direct and indirect employment for a large number of people. The all-weather line provides a cheaper form of transport and accelerates industrial activity based on locally available minerals such as iron, ore, and bauxite.
The scenic beauty of the area is exceptional and 160 km/h express trains are being planned between Bombay and Goa to stimulate tourism in the region.
Note: *traffic control room – пункт управления движением