Railroad Day is the first professional holiday in Russia. It was established by order of the Ministry of Railways on July 9, 1896 and timed to coincide with the birthday of Emperor Nicholas I, who began the construction of railways in Russia. It was celebrated annually on June 25 (July 6, according to a new style).
On this day, the railway workers rested, and in the evening, as a rule, a gala reception with a concert was held in the hall of the Pavlovsky station of the Tsarskoye Selo railway.
The tradition of celebrating the Railwayman's Day was revived at the initiative of the railwaymen themselves, who for the first time in many years overfulfilled the transportation plan in 1935.
At the end of July 1935, at the reception of railway transport workers held in the Kremlin, an initiative was put forward to annually celebrate professional labor successes. By a government decree of July 28, 1936, the day of the professional holiday of railway workers was established on July 30. Later, his celebration was moved to the next day off.
Geographically, Russian railways are an integral part of the Eurasian railway network and are directly linked to the railway systems of Europe and East Asia. In addition, ports can interact with transport systems in North America.
Railways are organically integrated into the unified transport system of the Russian Federation. In interaction with other modes of transport, they satisfy the needs of the population, the economy and the state in transportation. At the same time, rail transport is the leading element of the transport system, its share in providing passenger and freight traffic is more than 40% of the country's total transport.
The leading position of the railways is determined by their ability to carry out year-round regular traffic, transport the bulk of the flow of bulk cargo and ensure the mobility of labor resources. The special importance of railways is also determined by the large distances of transportation, the poor development of communications of other modes of transport in the regions of Siberia and the Far East, the remoteness of the places of production of the main raw materials from their points of consumption and seaports.
On September 18, 2003, the Open Joint Stock Company "Russian Railways" was established by a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation. The sole shareholder of Russian Railways is the Russian Federation. The powers of the shareholder are exercised by the Government of the Russian Federation.
Russian Railways is one of the world's top three railway companies.
In 2017, more than 1.11 million passengers were transported on the infrastructure of Russian Railways (+7.8% compared to 2016).
Passenger turnover on the Russian Railways network has grown by 5% since the beginning of 2018 compared to 2017. In January-July 2018, 653.5 million passengers were sent (+3.2% compared to January-July 2017), of which 62.8 million passengers were transported in long-distance routes (+8.6%), in suburban traffic — 590.7 million (+2.6%).
Few people know, but Nicholas I took up the foundation of the railway in Russia. At that time, the first track leading to Tsarskoye Selo and the highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg were built. This happened at the beginning of the 19th century, but the tradition of celebrating the day of the railway was founded only in 1896 at the initiative of Prince Khilkov, who held the position of minister responsible for communications. Since then, the history of the holiday in Tsarist Russia began. At that time, the date of the holiday was associated with Emperor Nicholas I himself, it was set on his birthday - June 25 according to the old calculation (or July 06 - in a new way).
Of course, at that time everyone knew how many days the workers of the steel tracks had. This day was considered a holiday, railway institutions did not work, prayers were held at large stations, and dinner was organized without fail in the evening. It took place at the Pavlovsky railway station, located on the Tsarskoye Selo road. By the way, it was the first public railway track. But the most large-scale festivities took place near the Ministry of Railways, which was located in St. Petersburg on the Fontanka.
With the advent of Soviet power in 1917, the day dedicated to railway employees was forgotten for 20 years, because starting from that moment, it was decided to cancel all royal holidays. True, in 1935, the Russian railway workers proposed to establish a memorial day for them, as a sign of honor for their labor feat, which is done for the glory of the USSR. Starting in 1936, the tradition of celebrating the day of the railway workers was resumed. True, a different date has already been chosen - the council decided to celebrate it on July 30th. But this did not last long, already in 1940 it was decided that it was better to transfer it to the next Sunday - at that time it fell on August 04. Since then, a tradition has been established to celebrate the day of railway employees on the first Sunday of the summer month of August.
To congratulate all those involved in this event, you need to find out when the day of the railway worker is in 2019. This year it falls on August 5th. At the same time, employees of all Russian railways deserve congratulations. Indeed, without the well-coordinated work of technical personnel, conductors, drivers and their assistants, cashiers, road and station management, it is impossible to provide quality services and safe movement of both passenger and freight trains.
If you don’t know what is customary to wish on this day, then congratulations on the day of the railway worker 2019 may be like this.
Happy professional day! Let life go smoothly, like rails, and health be strong like concrete sleepers!
Happy Railroad Day! I wish that all the days of your life there is a place for a holiday! Let the train "Happiness" never leave your depot!
On the day of honor of all railway workers, I want to wish that all trains run exclusively on schedule, passengers are pleasant, and the tracks never fail!
If you have people working in this field, send them such an SMS message. Believe me, they will like such attention, they will be grateful for your congratulations.
The professional holiday of those who work on the railway is one of the oldest in Russia. Probably, it is, in principle, the oldest professional holiday among all Russian ones. If many days of workers of a certain profession appeared in the USSR in the 1960s-1980s, then the history of the holiday of railway workers dates back to the reign of the tsar. Railway Day in 2018: what date is celebrated in Russia, the date of the holiday, history.
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What date is Railway Day in Russia in 2018
In fact, the history of the railway workers' holiday is very rich and amazing. We will talk about it further. Let us only mention that it arose during the time of the tsar, and after the revolution, the authorities of the country abandoned it, as from many things that reminded of those times. So that the holiday will be revived later.
The modern version of the Russian Railroad Day originated in 1936, and the principle of calculating its date was determined in 1940.
Since pre-war times, the Day of the Railwayman in the Soviet Union, and today in Russia, is celebrated on the first Sunday of August. Thus, in 2018, this holiday in Russia will be celebrated on August 5.
The year of the Railwayman's Day in the USSR, 1936, is rather unusual for the history of professional holidays. They appeared en masse in the USSR much later, under Khrushchev and Brezhnev. During the reign of Stalin, there were not very many holidays, so a separate holiday for railway workers, established then, emphasizes the most important status of railways and workers in this area at that time.
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How did the Day of the railway worker in Russia
The construction of railways in our country in the 19th century was a grandiose project of those times. First of all, the new transport made it possible to connect the vast territories of Russia and bring different parts of it closer to each other. Against the backdrop of the alternative of moving on horseback, trains were an incredible advance.
Also, the very fact of the presence of ultra-modern transport at that time indicated the status of the country in the world and the level of its development. Railroads in the 19th century were akin to space technology in the 20th century.
Russian railways are a project of Nicholas I. He was born on June 25, according to the old style (July 6, according to the new one), therefore, this date was appointed as the Railwayman's Day. The holiday itself arose during the reign of the great-grandson of the founder of the Russian railways - Nicholas II. This event took place in 1896.
Railwayman's Day in tsarist Russia was a high-society holiday. Railways on June 25 did not work at all, and their leadership went to a reception in the capital of the country - St. Petersburg.
After the 1917 revolution, the holiday was forgotten for almost 20 years. His rebirth happened in 1936. From 1936 to 1939 it was celebrated on the same date - July 30th. Although this day is quite close to the historical one, it has nothing to do with it.
On July 30, 1935, Joseph Stalin spoke to the railway workers. Any action of the leader was immediately given a historical context, and a year later this date was appointed as a memorable one for its transformation into a new holiday.
But already in 1940, the Railwayman's Day was moved to the first Sunday in August. The holiday always falls now on a weekend, and we use this date to this day, celebrating the Day of the Railwayman in Russia.
Railway workers' holiday in today's Russia
On August 5, 2018, about 737 thousand employees of the sphere will celebrate their professional holiday in Russian Railways alone. Add to them thousands of people employed in related industries.
Modern railways in Russia are 86,000 kilometers of tracks, of which 50% are electrified. Over a billion passengers and more than a billion tons of various cargoes are transported on these roads every year.
The history of the official establishment of the professional holiday of the workers of the "iron canvas" is inextricably linked with the date of June 28. It was on this day that Emperor Nicholas II was born, who is considered the founder of the first railway in Russia. According to the Decree signed by the autocrat in 1896, this holiday was approved as a day off. However, after the Bolsheviks came to power, he was excluded from the list of state. Only in 1936 did it again receive official status. According to the decree of the Soviet government, celebrations in honor of railway workers were scheduled for July 30, and starting from 1940, this holiday date was moved to the first Sunday of August.
What date is the holiday celebrated in 2018?
In modern Russia, as in many republics of the former USSR, the Railroad Day has not lost its relevance either. By a special Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin, the first Sunday of August was approved as its official date. Given the "floating calendar" of the holiday, in 2018 it will be celebrated on August 5.
About the profession of a railway worker
As mentioned above, the workers of the "iron sheet" are highly organized and extremely responsible people. And this is not at all surprising, because the coherence of the passenger transportation system and ensuring the timely delivery of goods for various purposes directly depend on them.
In order to master the profession of a railway worker, it is necessary to go a long way from a student of a specialized educational institution to an intern at one of the railway organizations. Only if the diploma is successfully defended, a young specialist will be able to take the position of a station manager, conductor, dispatcher, engineer, or driver.
Particular attention deserves the regulation of the processes of movement of transport trains, which is not only extremely responsible work, but also prestigious. Only trained specialists who have graduated from a higher educational institution and have excellent personal characteristics are allowed to fulfill this mission. The main tasks of workers in this area include:
- scheduling the movement of railway transport;
- analysis of the technical condition of the compositions;
- maintenance of the railway track and related facilities.
Separately, it is worth noting the work of officials of the Ministry of Railways, who are involved in the development of the infrastructure of railway transport, tariffing of freight transportation and other financial issues of the department.
Holiday traditions
As you know, not a single solemn event in Russia takes place without a cheerful and noisy feast. Every year, the professional holiday of the railwayman gathers at the family tables all those whose profession is directly related to the "iron track". In their honor, sincere congratulations, sincere wishes of health and success in their difficult professional activities are heard.
Solemn meetings will be held in many cities of the Russian Federation, during which the best workers of the railway lines will be awarded with valuable gifts and certificates.
Entertainment events will traditionally be held in cultural institutions of different settlements, in which local authorities, creative, vocal and dance groups will take part.
During daytime and evening TV broadcasts, special screenings of documentaries and programs dedicated to domestic railway workers will take place. These broadcasts will be a good reminder to all Russian viewers of those who daily work on the development and improvement of the largest transport system in the country.
Interesting facts about the railway infrastructure of Russia:
- the longest railway in the world is the Trans-Siberian Railway (from Moscow to Nakhodka its duration is 9430 km);
- on average, per year, residents of our country make up to nine trips by trains and trains;
- the highest point through which the railway tracks pass - Yablonovy Pass (6110 km above sea level);
- according to statistics, the railway is 45 times safer than the road.
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