Replacing minibuses with medium-capacity buses on suburban routes planned

 
The authorities of the Astrakhan city intend to gradually replace minibuses with medium-capacity buses on suburban routes. This became known during the meeting of the regional government on 07/31/25

 - at which a comprehensive plan for transport services for residents of the Astrakhan city and the standards of such services were considered in detail.

According to the Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure of the Astrakhan Region, Alexey Chepyakov, as part of this work, surveys of the transport infrastructure, passenger flows and road traffic have been conducted, which made it possible to identify the main problems. These are duplication of routes, unsatisfactory condition of transport means and the lack of routes to remote settlements. In order to solve this problem, it is planned to create terminal routes between Astrakhan and the districts, update the rolling stock, improve the transport infrastructure and introduce services for monitoring buses and informing passengers.

It is also planned to reduce the length of the route network, over several years, by 42%, but increase the average daily number of passengers transported by 5%. And the replacement of small-capacity buses (minibuses) with medium-capacity buses, which is planned for 2030, according to the authorities’ plan, should optimize costs and simultaneously improve service for passengers.

People from the ex-Ucraine received asylum in the Astrakhan region

As of January 1, 2023, 435 persons received a temporary asylum in the Astrakhan region, as reported by the Rosstat (Russian Federal Service of State Statistics). At the same time, exactly a year ago, there were only 5 such persons. I assume there is no need to explain what is the reason for a sharp increase in the number of temporary arrivals to the Astrakhan region. People began to travel from the regions of Donbass and from a number of regions of ex-Ukraine to Russia in February 2022, even before the start of the SMO (Special Military Operation) and kept coming throughout the past year.

At the same time, as a result, few people came to the Astrakhan region for a temporary asylum here. The majority of them went to the regions of the Southern Federal District like the Krasnodar Territory (almost 6,300 people), the Rostov Region (more than 4,700 people) and the Republic of Crimea (more than 4,000 people). It is understandable because these areas are the closest regions to the ex-Ukraine.

It is worth recalling that the refugees from the Donbass arrived to the Astrakhan region in an orderly manner last spring. A total of 422 people arrived at that time, including 81 children and 22 disabled persons.

Where is the Russian winter?

It seems like the Russian winter reigns over the North America. It is like our beloved Russian General Frost decided to attack the USA by itself, not willing to wait for the orders by the RF President Vladimir Putin.

At least this is what I've seen during the last 7 days, judging by the news coming from the Midwest and North Eastern states of the USA. 

It is really strange to read about temperatures far below zero (at about -25°C) in the American cities located Southward of North parallel 46° where I live, and while in my native city of Astrakhan, the temperature did not fall lower than -8°C for the same period of time and it did not rain or snow at all during the New Year Holiday Week.

What do you tell me about the global warming?

Are you nuts?))

Rains are coming to the Astrakhan steppes

Starting from tomorrow, the Astrakhan Region will get wet under the autumn rains and Astrakhan will be hidden under the snow in winter 2015-2016.

The local weather forecasters predict that the coming winter will be the snowiest one in the past decade in Russia. Moreover, abnormal frosts and tons of snow showers will strike the Astrakhan region, where the city utility services have already started to get ready for upcoming tests of strength. A total of 90 snowplows will fight the snow in the streets of Astrakhan, including 8 units acquired by the Region this year. Pavements will be processed with 2000 tons of sand and 600 tons of technical salt.

A huge cyclone will cover our area tomorrow, and that will bring drizzling, boring and long-lasting autumn rains. From Wednesday to Saturday, and according to some reports – including this week-end - the regional center sky will be cloudy and it may be raining lightly. But if Astrakhan may be calm for the daytime air temperatures, reaching up to 8-11 degrees Centigrade, the wind speeds are the basis for some worries because, according to the local Weather Forecast Center, gusts up to 8-13 meters per second (mps) are expected during tomorrow, and tomorrow morning they may attain speeds equal to 18 mps. Therefore some advertising structures may accidentally fall over somebody’s sinful head.

Be careful, girls and boys!

A woman at the wheel means troubles ahead!

Alyona Gubanova, 42, candidate to enter the "United Russia" pro-Kremlin party, becomes the major of Astrakhan according to the results of the elections held within the first meeting of a recently re-elected City Duma of Astrakhan. As reported by the local news agencies, her candidature was supported by 28 out of 35 city deputies, who took part in the meeting. As of now Alyona Gubanova is the chief of the state publication and printing enterprise "Volga" and she also held the position of the press office chief of the ex-Governor of the Astrakhan Region Anatoly Guzhvin earlier. The elections to the City Duma of Astrakhan were held on the 13th of September this year and for the first time those elections used a mixed scheme: 36 candidates entered the Duma, among them 18 single mandate deputies and 18 different Russian parties nominees. Notwithstanding with the fact that only 18% of the Astrakhan city population took part in the elections, the parties of "United Russia", Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia qialified to enter the City Duma

As you remember the ex-major of the City of Astrakhan Michail Stolyarov was removed from office for taking bribes of a large scale, and was fined 500 mln. RUR and sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Meanwhile the economic situation in the city of Astrakhan remains far from ideal. The city is not developing at a pace desired by its population, which slowly moves around the level of 515 thousands of inhabitants for the last 25 years. The local wages level are at the lowest level in Russia. So, there are doubts among people that a woman can birng hope for prosperity to Astrakhan. The people of this southern provincial city recite a proverb written in the title of this article. And proverbs are a concentrated folk wisdom.

We'll see...

Just 5 days before the New Year 2015

Hello, girls and boys!
If you still think that the winter in Russia is a very cold period of the year, you're totally wrong!!
In my location, at the south extremity of the city of Astrakhan, the ambient temperature is right now equal to +7C (44F)!!!
I doubt if there could be even a little amount of snow for the New Year Eve around))

We're BACK!

Hello, girls and boys!
In the next few days we will publish something new on this blog. Meanwhile I wish you all happiness and good luck from Astrakhan city in Russia ]for this Fall 2014!