Penza, 18 May 2015. PenzaNews. An official opening ceremony of the anniversary 30th passenger season of the Penza children’s railroad was held on the platform of Pionerskaya train station on Sunday, May 17.

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The official ceremony dedicated to the beginning of the 2015 season was focused on the children’s railroad crew and students.

During the event, the school students acting as heads of working shifts gave their reports, after which the season’s first train departed from the station under the accompanied of “Proschaniye Slavyanki” (a Soviet march traditionally played at a train’s departure).

“In four years, the children learn about all specialties, starting from working as ticket collectors, station broadcasters and railway platform attendants, the smaller professions. On years two and three, they are learning to work as train operators and train operator assistants – the more difficult professions, or station attendants, where one should know which traffic light to open, where the train goes, so you should sit at the control panel and prepare the train’s departure route,” Tatyana Stepanova, head of the Penza children’s railway, commented on the event.

According to her, after a four-year education course the students of the ninth school year who studied at the smaller railroad already have an understanding of which railroad profession they should choose.

“We will be teaching 300 people in summer, 100 people a month. We have two shifts of 25 people – before and after noon. Two weeks passed, and we swap for 50 more people in two shifts. We work for three months,” she clarified.

In this anniversary year, the young students of the children’s railroad will be issued new uniforms, Tatyana Stepanova added.

As PenzaNews agency reported earlier, over the 30 years of its history the Penza children’s railroad serviced over 170,000 city residents and guests, and graduated about 8,000 teenagers. Currently, the smaller railroad has a well-developed infrastructure that includes 2.5 kilometers of train tracks, separate passenger stations, and a modern train set.