Penza, 29 May 2015. PenzaNews. The deputies of the City Duma discussed the concept of the Penza public transport development until 2020, at the ninth regular session, held on Friday, May 29.

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Sergei Simonov, deputy head of the city administration, reported on the issue.

“Public transport is one of the important factors of the city life. Its modern development requires clarification and setting targets to the administration,” he began the report.

After that, Viktor Kuvaytsev asked Sergei Simonov to answer several questions, such as what direction in the concept is basic and what changes are expected in the public transportation.

“What kind of transport will be leading: large or small? Where and what transportation will be convenient to use? What are the prospects for the development of electric transport, which we have today?” Viktor Kuvaytsev asked.

Sergei Simonov clarified that it is the large capacity public transport that is suggested to be the leading.

“We are talking about buses, trolleybuses, and perhaps, given the prospects of the city growing, the tram [speed transportation]. [...] It would go through suburbs covered the surrounding areas. High-speed tram is a little different than the one that runs through the streets of the city,” the vice mayor said.

Continuing the topic, deputy Irina Voronina asked whether it is planned to return bus transport to Neftyanik village and farm “Zarya.” Sergei Simonov replied in the affirmative. However, he did not specify the date.

In turn, deputy Alexei Shuvarin asked whether the development concept includes the repairs of the underground passage from the Penza-1 railway station to the bus station.

“The work continues. We are communicating with the railway regularly and draw some conclusions. Most of the communications have been removed from the tunnel. Those that remain are in order. [...] Given that the funds have been allocated, the railway will begin the reconstruction,” the vice mayor said.

After that, deputy Yuri Zinoviev asked whether the concept provides for further development of transport services in Koltsova Street.

“Let us take Bugrovka village. Many people live there, mostly the elderly people. It is far for the them to go from Stroiteley prospekt. Will there be a direct route?” Yuri Zinoviev asked.

Sergei Simonov replied that along with the city growing, they will seek for the opportunities to launch new routes.

Drawing the interim conclusion to the discussion, the City Duma deputy chairman Ivan Krasnov expressed the view that the development concept is a “raw document and needs revision.”

“The concept is linked to the general plan and, as it follows from the title, it is built for the years 2015-2020. And in the master plan, as we know, we have things which are unlikely to be feasible. Transport concept should become attached to future changes in the general plan of the city as a whole. So I think that we will have to come back to this issue in the near future: six months or a year,” he concluded.