Volgograd-Moscow train passengers await locomotive swap
Train No. 1 has been stuck in Michurinsk for many hours due to a tank car derailment and fire on the railway. Passengers are spending time in comfort, awaiting the continuation of the journey.
Apr 30, 2026 0
Passengers report waiting for the aftermath of the accident to be cleared in comfortable conditions.
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Hundreds of passengers on Train No. 1 from Volgograd to Moscow found themselves forcedly delayed in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast. The cause was an accident at Kochetovka station, where tank cars with fuel derailed and a fire broke out.
Despite the multi-hour wait, travelers report that the delay has not caused them significant inconvenience.
«We were going as a family on a short vacation, which we prefer to spend admiring the beauties of our great and vast Russia,» one passenger said. «When planning the route and connections, we decided not to fly to Moscow by plane due to the complete impossibility of predicting another »Kovyor« at Stalingrad Airport. We chose the railway. Especially since it is symbolic that Volgograd and Moscow are connected by Train No. 1. We assumed that by morning we would already be at Paveletsky Station in the capital. But reality made its own adjustments to our plans.»
According to the traveler, the notification of the delay came on phones late at night, almost at the moment the train stopped. Since then, the family has been observing the landscapes of Michurinsk from the window of their compartment.
«The delay, of course, slightly changed our plans, but causes no inconvenience at all,» the Volgograd resident noted. «The carriage is warm, boiling water and regular water are plentiful. The conductors are attentive and caring. They walked through the train, carefully asking if any connections were being missed, if there were any insulin dependencies or medication issues, if there was any need for medicines or medical assistance.»
According to the latest information received from passengers, traffic should resume shortly after a double locomotive change.
«As the railway employees told us, the section where the emergency occurred was de-energized due to problems with the contact network. Therefore, the electric locomotive will be replaced with a diesel locomotive, which will pull the train over a certain distance,» the passenger explained. «Then the locomotive will be changed again to an electric one, and we will be taken to Moscow.»
In an official statement, Russian Railways (RZD) stated that after the resumption of traffic through the emergency section, 27 passenger trains have already passed, and seven have reached their destinations. The maximum delay time is nine hours.
To allow trains to pass, a temporary scheme with diesel locomotives and reduced speed is being used through the freight yard of the station.
The incident occurred on the evening of February 4 at Kochetovka-2 station on the Tambov section of the Southeastern Railway. The fire was contained after six hours. About 200 railway workers, two recovery trains, four firefighting trains, and other specialized equipment are involved in the response. The coordination of work is personally led by the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov.
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