Penza, 12 May 2016. PenzaNews. The new, 31st passenger season at the Penza children’s railroad will open on Sunday, May 15.

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Reportedly, the opening ceremony will involve representatives of the Kuybyshevskaya Railroad, veterans of the industry and esteemed guests, as well as young railroad workers who will give a report on the railroad readiness for the summer practice season.

The ceremony will be followed by a ride along the children’s railroad in a train that will depart from the Pionerskaya station under control of the future railroad workers.

“The passengers of the first train will get their tickets for free,” the press secretary of the Penza branch of the Kuybyshevskaya Railroad Svetlana Zatuliveter told PenzaNews.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9.30, with the first train to depart at 10.00, she clarified.

The first train of the Penza children’s railroad under control of the future railroad workers left the station on 4 August 1985.

The “lesser railroad” is serviced by 6-8 class school students. Every day, more than 300 future railroad workers go to the Penza children’s railroad to learn the skills required to become locomotive drivers, track servicemen, train car inspectors and controllers, station operators, passenger car attendants, train station broadcasters and tourist guides, all under guidance of experienced teachers.

The junior railroad team serviced over 850 arrivals and departures with more than 8,800 passengers in 2015 alone.

Since its very first opening, the children’s railroad was visited by around 180,000 people, most of them children and young adults.