Wires Snap, Passengers Storm Buses as Kazan Endures Heavy Snowfall
The night and morning of January 30 can be considered one of the snowiest (if not the snowiest) this winter. We show how the city is coping with this day.
Snapped Wires
At night, at the intersection of Vakhitov and Bolshaya Krylova, a pole fell at a bus stop under the weight of snow, snapping the contact wire. Traffic at the incident site is practically paralyzed.
“A pole fell here at the bus stop. The traffic light isn«t working. It»s chaos here. In short, everything is at a standstill. Everyone is passing by, only one lane is free,” warned one eyewitness.
The Municipal Unitary Enterprise «Metroelectrotrans» (MUP «Metroelectrotrans», the city«s public transport operator) also reports that trolleybus No. 1 is temporarily not running due to a snapped contact wire in the city.
Storming of Buses
In the morning, the city was gripped by 9-point traffic jams. Even by 10 a.m., the situation on the roads is rated at 6 points, although it usually normalizes by this time.
Meanwhile, Kazan residents are storming public transport. So many passengers are cramming into the buses that the doors barely close.
Besides trolleybus No. 1, the following bus routes did not operate:
No. 93 Lenin Palace of Culture — Bernovye Kovali settlement
No. 89A Zhilploshchadka Residential Area — Krasnooktyabrsky Residential Area
No. 36A Zalesny Residential Area — Novonikolayevsky
Running with shortened routes:
No. 40 from Lenin Palace of Culture to the interchange with M7
No. 78 from Yashlek metro station to the turn to Krutushki
Flight Delays
At Kazan Airport, more than 10 flights are delayed for departure and arrival. There are also significant schedule changes. For example, passengers planning a trip to Omsk will depart 11 hours later, and a flight to Hurghada has been postponed by 13.5 hours.
Authorities Call the Snowfall Abnormal
Kazan City Hall reported that this night had the most intense precipitation in recent days. City services were removing snow all night, and work continues now. Authorities warn that it is impossible to remove all the snow at once and that the snowfall will persist for several more days.
“If possible, reduce travel, be more careful on the roads, and follow the recommendations of emergency services,” urged the administration.
A third of the monthly precipitation norm covered Kazan in one day — such figures are provided by the external improvement committee.
“We understand that the morning city today is different from snowless days. But all services are working on schedule, clearing first category roads, highways, areas near social facilities, bus stops, and then moving to other streets,” added the committee.
Not everywhere has equipment reached second and third category roads. In Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts, they promise to do this during the day.
“Inspection results: category 1 roads are well cleared. Many questions about sidewalks and bus stops, tractor-brushes and «barsiki» (small snowplows) continue to work,” noted the head of the administration Albert Salikhov in a Telegram channel.
The head of Novo-Savinovsky and Aviastroitelny districts Renat Shamsutdinov also made a night inspection and reported that 95 workers and 109 pieces of special equipment were deployed to fight the snow.
In the Sovetsky district, they focused on removing snow in residential areas, courtyards, clearing highways, key roads, and sidewalks. This is necessary for the uninterrupted operation of public transport and special services.
Residents« Complaints
While authorities call for patience, Kazan residents are bombarding the city hall chat. Complaints are expected — it is impossible to walk or drive around the city due to snowdrifts.
“I ask to clean not only the central streets but also the inner streets of the settlement (Torfyana). Today many children missed school because they couldn«t get to the bus stop”;
“We request to send a tractor to the Vishnevka settlement, Zarechnaya Street. There hasn«t been a tractor for a whole week. It»s impossible to get out”;
“This video and photo are apparently from a parallel reality. In Aviastroy and on Zhilploshchadka, everything is covered. The sidewalk along Tsetsevskaya has a huge snowdrift starting from Belinsky and further”;
“It feels like all management companies have hidden in Dubais and Thailands. I«m talking about sweeping snow and blocking entrances to courtyards, not just residential ones.”
“In Soviet times, no one called such a winter abnormal. Back then, the snow was nothing compared to now!”
Situation on Highways
The «Alekseevskaya-Almetyevsk» highway, after night restrictions, was opened not only for passenger cars but also for trucks.
No closures have been reported on other highways yet. However, drivers complain about skidding, snowfall, and black ice on some road sections.
“On the «Chelny-Chistopol» highway, visibility is poor, there is black ice on the roads, be more careful,” warned one driver.
“While driving, I saw three cars spin out. It«s scary,” noted another driver, Olga.
