The river port, Cheboksary. Water transport

Today Russian river transport is going through hard times. However, people directly involved in this area (and trying to develop it), note that this statement for many years has become a habitual justification in the mouth of many businessmen and statesmen who cover up the shortcomings of their own work.

River transport - ancient occupation

One of the brightest representatives of the company, trying to develop and earn on passenger river transportation, is the Cheboksary port, which has an ancient history and good prospects.

In 1809, His Imperial Majesty established the Russian Expedition of Water Communications. The newly formed organization was called upon to streamline the data on navigational characteristics of the Volga and other large rivers. The territory of the country was divided into water areas - and the wharf, which was destined eventually to become a river port (Cheboksary), was assigned to the third of them.

The present capital of the Chuvash Republic is an old city, mentioned in some ancient chronicles as far back as the 14th century. A successful location at the intersection of large waterways (formerly Cheboksarka was quite full) insistently dictated to the locality the role of a convenient transportation hub on the way to Asia. So the river port (Cheboksary), we can say, was born several centuries ago and was quite popular among the people.

Flipping through the yellowed pages

There are many historical works devoted to the Chuvash Republic. Many of them are based on a thorough study of the documents of the past and give some idea of the scope of the Cheboksary navigation of those times. For example, the bookkeeping books discovered (if one can say so) show that local entrepreneurs did not disdain water transport, had their own vessels and actively transported goods with their help.

In the "ledgers" Cheboksary trader in the first 40 years of the XIX century, there are mentioned fifty shipowners who used their water transport for doing business. In one year 1832, 10 merchants sent more than two dozen loaded ships. In those days Cheboksary was the champion of the Kazan province by the number of its own vessels: more than 70. Unfortunately, the years changed much, and today the largest river ports do not include the capital of Chuvashia.

Rapid development of the beginning of the century and post-revolutionary desolation

With the advent of steamers, river communication received a new impetus to development. Not only freight, but also passenger ships began to drift along the Volga. According to the memories of local residents, in the second half of the XIX century, wishing to travel on water serviced three major companies: "Airplane", "Caucasus and Mercury" and "On the Volga".

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the river port of Cheboksary was the largest in terms of shipping bread (over a hundred ships sailed for a year) and had already seven quays. After the revolution, the shipping life for a long time froze - at best, the three landing stages were ready to accept ships going upstream or downstream.

Slowly, lightly

Nevertheless, the Cheboksary river port developed. In the late 20's, the city purchased a motorboat for carrying cargo and passengers (its capacity was very weak, only 26 people, but in a season in 1927 it managed to transport almost 25,000 people, fifteen hundred head of cattle and fifty tons of cargo).

In 1935, the "fifteen-year-old name-day" Chuvash autonomy received two more boats - as a gift from Nizhny Novgorod. These were much larger, each could take on board up to 160 passengers. During the war years, they "went to the front" and, unfortunately, did not return. But the self-propelled ferry acquired by the 20 th anniversary of Chuvashia (it was called "20 years of the Czechoslovakia", therefore, in the common people was affectionately called the "Twenties"), furrowed the Volga waters for many years after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

Official status

Peace time brought a long-awaited peace, the country rushed forward - and the river port Cheboksary also "woke up": for the first five-year period, freight traffic increased 8 times, and passenger - in 20. During this period, river transport in general is very intensively developing, the number of vessels is increasing, New loading equipment.

By the way, until the end of the 60s of the last century the city of Cheboksary officially had no port - this status was given to the local jetty only in 1968. By that time, already for three years the local hydroelectric power station was being built at full speed (the foundation pit was flooded in the 80th).

After the construction was completed, the idea arose to renew the port, even laying the foundation of the new administrative building (1984), but as a result, the laudable undertaking was left until better times, which came only after the collapse of the Union.

Breathe new life

In 1992, it was decided to return to construction. At the same time, the idea was born not to confine oneself only to the building for management personnel, but to design a whole complex designed to improve the favorite place of rest for citizens - the embankment over the reservoir (the local is often called its bay).

Almost all significant events of the city and republican scale take place here, so this initiative did not look superfluous at all.

To date, the leisure industry is one of the profitable articles, which can be deservedly proud of the Cheboksary river port. The address of the main building (the very center of the city) provides a lot of advantages for cafes, restaurants and shops that function on the territory.

Target Activities

However, this is not the main earnings of the company. The main source of profits here is the extraction of non-metallic building materials (mainly sand and gravel), which is actively traded port. Shipments are made from a fairly modern wharf "Gremyachevo" (Gremyachevsky Ave, 39), built relatively recently, in 2006.

Now this is almost the only pier that has equipment that allows using it as a cargo river port: Cheboksary is only at the beginning of a long journey in the development of river communication: today other means are more popular.

Until now, there is no possibility to deliver by rail to / from the pier, but the company has a rather large car fleet and independently delivers extracted gravel and sand in Cheboksary and Novocheboksarsk, incidentally fighting local bureaucratic arbitrariness: in 2014, the press widely covered the scandal that happened from - attempts by the authorities to deprive the enterprise of earnings. In that battle the Cheboksary river port survived and continues to mine materials today.

The company seeks to diversify its activities, even offering such exotic services as celebrating a wedding (or other event) on the boat, promising excellent service and unforgettable impressions.

Transport node

Today, the number of marinas allows us to simultaneously take a dozen steamers at the same time (including 6 cruise liners), but to date it can not be said that the port is using its full potential completely.

The company bitterly complains about the unprofitability of passenger traffic, despite all their popularity. In early May 2015, the port's management announced losses incurred during the past season in the amount of 1.9 million rubles, and therefore suggested that the administration of the republic take part of the costs for themselves. To keep an acceptable (and, by the way, very moderate) price level the enterprise itself is not able, and their increase will inevitably entail a decrease in the number of passengers.

As a result of the accepted compromise, only the most popular flights are included in the schedule: to Sosnovka and to the beach, and those are constantly under threat of cancellation.

The river port honestly warns about possible changes: the reference phone (58-00-53) exists and is specified, so it is better to call and specify the schedule, so as not to get into a mess.

Certainly passenger transportations would have gained new life and brought more income if the river men and the administration of the city (republic) were able to find some reasonable balance between the number of flights (in this light, the cancellation of early trips announced by the company looks quite appropriate), at the cost of tickets Not superfluous are seen subsidies from the authorities) and the introduction of unconditional stability in the traffic schedule.

Work in this respect is conducted: after all, the passenger river port in Cheboksary enjoys both love and popularity with the local public.

Cheboksary and tourism

However, the visitors also: the company has the most direct relation to tourism and its development. In this regard, the city of Cheboksary is very attractive: an interesting excursion program, judging by the reviews, is very popular with connoisseurs of cognitive rest.

The republic's authorities are making considerable efforts to increase the influx of tourists - and the reporter, as far as the forces and opportunities are involved in this dynamic process. A lot of travelers come to Cheboksary on cruise liners - an increasing number of routes provide for a stop here.

In this light, it becomes clear that the progressive development of the port and associated infrastructure promises both the enterprise and the capital of Chuvashia excellent prospects.