The origins of Russia's railway communication are in St. Petersburg. The northern capital at one time became the ancestor of the distribution of the latest and very promising type of transport in the country. Despite the fact that many years have passed since the birth of the railway, St. Petersburg is still at the forefront of an innovative movement in terms of expanding and creating new lines of communication, as well as improving their infrastructure. A striking proof of this is the Ladozhsky railway station.
History of creation: Ladoga railway station, St. Petersburg
Ladoga railway station today is a complex transport hub of St. Petersburg. And it all started with a small station, the opening of which took place in 1914. Initially, it was called "Yablonovka", like the neighboring village. A little later, the station was renamed according to the ownership of the lands owned by Prince Dolgoruky, into "Dacha Dolgorukov".
Already in the mid-sixties of the last century, the idea of creating a new node on the railway was born. This idea was prompted by the workload of existing capacities. However, the implementation of the plan for bureaucratic, politicaland financial reasons never happened.
Implementation of the idea
Ladoga railway station was opened on May 25, 2003. It became the sixth in the city and the only transit railway junction. The Ladoga railway station was opened for the tercentenary of the northern capital. However, after the official launch, work on fine-tuning some infrastructure facilities continued. The haste of the measures taken was the cause of the accident with the locomotive (it received damage to the side due to non-observance of the distance between the platform and the outermost rail). However, the youngest station in the city quickly got rid of the shortcomings and became a reliable and safe transport hub.
Ladoga railway station (St. Petersburg) was designed by architect N. I. Yavein. Today, this transport hub, which meets the requirements of high modern speeds, has significant reserve potential.
Characteristics
Ladoga railway station, unlike other similar structures in the northern capital, performs a transit function. This applies to the most popular destinations to Murmansk and Helsinki from Moscow. The track capacity of this transport hub is also unique. It consists of upper and lower levels.
Ladoga railway station is considered the smartest in Europe. It is a huge structure that houses numerous services, passenger facilities and railway tracks. Moreover, all this was placed in a small area thanks to the original solution that the architect found.
Infrastructure
Ladoga railway station (St. Petersburg) was built in a difficult urban planning situation. The small size of the site did not allow the construction of the usual "coastal" type of building. In order to keep the transit movement of trains at this railway junction, an elaborate three-story building was erected. It combined the functions of a tunnel station and a bridge station. The transport hub can simultaneously receive twenty-six pairs of long-distance trains and fifty pairs of suburban trains. At the same time, the station is equipped with state-of-the-art electronic equipment. The operation of all equipment is designed to improve safety, comfort, and the quality of passenger transportation.
The scheme of the Ladoga railway station is simple. This complex consists of two buildings: the one where commuter trains stop, as well as the station intended for long-distance trains. The above buildings are located both at the aboveground and underground levels.
Lower tier
The commuter train station, located in the underground part, can be reached by escalator. This moving walkway runs downhill from a subway station above ground. The suburban station, built at a depth of fifteen meters, is equipped with ticket offices. There are also turnstiles for passage to electric trains. Not far from them is the waiting room, which communicates with the platforms. From the lower tier you can get to the Ladozhskaya metro station,underground.
Medium
This is a ground zone, which is given over to urban and railway transport. Minibus and trolleybus stops are located on the square near the station to ensure the convenience of passengers. There are taxi stands nearby.
Top Tier
The elevated part of the Ladoga railway station welcomes passengers with its large-scale glazing. From here, you can take a long-distance train journey heading north or east.
An escalator leads to the upper tier of the Ladoga railway station. Its beginning is located at the ground lobby of the metro station.
Practically the entire space of the upper part of the Ladoga railway station is occupied by the Hall of Lights. While waiting for the arrival of their train, passengers can admire the beautiful views of St. Petersburg through its transparent dome. In the Hall of Lights there are 24-hour ticket offices, a post office and left-luggage offices, a car rental service and much more. There is a car platform in front of the long-distance railway station. It is located 15.3 m above ground level. It can accommodate one hundred private cars and taxis at the same time.
The architectural solution of the station is remarkable. The construction of iron and glass is literally striking in its lightness. It looks like it is floating above the ground.
One of the branches of the B altic Bank operates at the station. It can producecurrency exchange. Various catering establishments located in the upper tier offer passengers a bite to eat or buy groceries before the train departs.
Planning decision
All three tiers of the station complex are interconnected by stairs and escalators, as well as huge light wells and ramps. The building is literally permeated with passages and transparent elevators, like floating bridges and consoles. All this allows you to create a whole range of images of the twenty-first century.
In terms of development, the Ladoga railway station has a rectangular shape. On the sides are two cylindrical structures. These buildings house administrative offices. There is a VIP-hall here, as well as a room intended for official delegations, lounges for passengers, commandant's office of military communications.
Along the outer track of the railway there is a low block, which houses auxiliary services. At the same time, this structure serves as a noise barrier. This block is separated from the metro by an entrance area intended for urban overground transport.
To create comfortable conditions for the movement of passenger traffic between the main building of the station and the lobby of the metro station, underground and overground passages were built to move visitors to St. Petersburg.
Ladoga railway station has a large track facilities. There are fourteen railway tracks on its territory. Eight of them are intended for passenger trains traveling tosuburban and distant destinations. Six tracks accept freight trains. The middle tier is intended for railway transport. All paths are there.
High-tech facility
Ladoga railway station is equipped with the most modern systems of security alarms, fire protection, air conditioning and ventilation, as well as lighting, electricity, operational communications, water supply and many others.
The way to Ladoga railway station
You can get to it by subway. This way will be the easiest and most convenient. The metro station Ladozhskaya is adjacent to the station building. Passengers don't even have to go outside thanks to the walkways. One has only to go up the escalator from the metro lobby, and then follow the signs to the Light Hall or go down to the station, intended for suburban trains.
How to get to Ladoga railway station by ground transport? Not far from the complex, trolleybuses No. 1 and 22, as well as trams 8, 10, 50 and 64 stop. More than thirty numbers of minibuses and buses come here from all areas of the city. A taxi can drive up directly to the entrance to the upper tier of the station.
How to get to Ladoga railway station if your way is from the airport? From "Pulkovo-1" the route of the 39th bus runs to the metro station "Moskovskaya". From it you can get to «Ladozhskoy». Passengers also get from other railway stations using the St. Petersburg metro scheme.
