transport soviet_union transport ussr important nation economy economic late 1920s 1930s led development infrastructure massive scale rapid pace soviet_union collapse wide variety modes transport land water air government policies investments transport low late 1970s early 1980s soviet calling construction roads alleviate strain railways improve state budget civil aviation industry represented largest world plagued ussr collapse road network remained dirt roads common outside major cities time attendance roads ill equipped handle growing problem death successors tried success solve problems time automobile industry growing faster rate construction new roads mid-1970s percent soviet population owned car despite improvements aspects transport sector problems outdated infrastructure lack investment corruption bad decision making central authorities demand transport infrastructure services rising soviet authorities proved unable meet growing demand people soviet road network chain reaction led growing demand public transport nation merchant fleet largest world civil aviation according air code ussr responsible air transport enterprises established soviet civil air transport largest total destinations vehicles post war existence ussr monopoly air transport ranged civil transport cargo transporting political prisoners soviet_union covered sixth entire earth early 1920s government decided invest aviation industry concluded expanding soviet_union travel efficient faster help build develop farmland enormously spread nation time travel required taking trains case road travel cars buses trucks northern eastern territories soviet_union completely inaccessible year vast land lacked roads railroads huge distances nearest population centers practically weather travel construction nearly impossible absence surface transportation facilities meant little equipment available use road construction making process consequently soviet government eager save money transportation sector concluded building series airports scattered isolated parts country far economically efficient build thousands miles roads railroads automobile train travel air travel best means transportation people cargo fleet necessary number aircraft manufacturing facilities grew thirty nation annual output increased mere number existing fleets soviet government founded national airline air service soviet_union renaming formation march main purposes operate maintain air transportation system provide different types services aerial surveying forest fire fighting agricultural promote educational recreational athletic activities public literally translates air fleet originally consisted existing air transportation fleets soviet_union 1920s creating soviet government like industries young soviet_union time expanding fleets like red air fleet general public aviation industry represent modernization represented means achieve modernization future glory second year plan devised development expansion aviation industry soon making air transport primary means transportation soviet_union strategy involved creating network cities towns deliver people politicians military officials prisoners travelers importantly mail freight recognized strong civil aviation sector supply necessary equipment materials prisoners increasing efficiency production output soviet aviation engineers long months time regular visitors prominent aircraft developers boeing engineers play key role origins soviet aircraft manufacturer soviet_union existence air travel served deliver freight 1930s freight percent services fact time air travel soviet_union existed means travel way government develop remote areas nation needs resource acquisition public rarely flew flights expensive maybe half workers monthly salary service poor single state owned governed airline operated competitors expanded according soviet central government central planning beginning world war entirety soviet civil aviation industry primarily domestic freight carrier fact surpassed volume despite strong commenced international route operating moscow prague world war soviet government wanted continue expansion starting increasing services moscow capitals soviet growing soviet air transportation network began shrink railroad importance soviet nations years passed soviet regime recognized aviation industry increasing value officials transportation planning attempted establish regular air service nearly city union soviet engineers helped pioneer introduction jets jet age served roughly cities time thirty largest soviet cities connected cities population including nearly percent populations percent cities people joining cities infrastructure industry heavily jet age introduction new faster reliable ways air travel greatly changed soviet aviation jets shortened travel times allowed nonstop service cities reach nonstop flights jet age longest nonstop service moscow roughly miles introduction jets mail delivered moscow nearly miles east day soviet_union jet world service moscow route miles soviet built soviet government established system unlike west soviet_union cities direct link moscow united_states small cities today connected larger cities airports use larger airports connect passengers flight destination soviet_union essentially revolved moscow networking technique proved effective early 1980s experienced massive growth aviation market carried million passengers millions pounds cargo travel restrictions million passengers international travelers airline remained entirely domestic carrier getting freight people far remote cities built era prisoners remained charge non delivery transportation services ice patrol escorting ships frozen seas oil exploration power line surveillance transportation heavy lifting support construction projects nearly single non military airplane permitted fly soviet_union registered airframe suffered worst safety reputation worldwide industry recording incidents creation blamed engineers poorer reliability compared western counterparts boeing mid late 1980s domestic flights noted consistently experiences western soviet passengers airport passengers complained long waits poor indifferent service ticket offices poorly designed set waiting areas airport coupled inadequate food toilet facilities board passengers complained forced sit hot airplane air conditioning indifferent cabin crews time introduced reforms permitting free speech shown considerable growth air transportation accounted percent total passenger transportation turnover soviet_union air travel accounted continues growing today soviet_union broke new free market economy foreign permitted land russia split sectors including today airline bears company soon found way russian spotlight commenced operations russian aircraft operator receive boeing operated russian built rest fleet consists boeing types russian aviation originally operating soviet built currently fly boeing types followed suit beginning began taking deliveries uses boeing fleet primarily western routes encourage western passenger travel joined global airline alliance joined different global alliance soviet aviation industry shifted adapt modern western air travel inventive soviet style air transportation helped build russia industries widespread global influence today airports soviet_union airports paved surface 1980s airports having capacity problems example airport cope average passengers day airport built handle problem lack moscow main airport airport ussr fully pipeline network soviet_union height pipeline network kilometres crude oil kilometres natural gas soviet authorities began focusing national pipeline system 1970s soviet experienced fast growth 1970s late 1970s pipeline network largest world average moving distance oil natural gas increased sectors soviet economy bad maintenance led deterioration late 1980s maintenance half needed storage facilities inadequate handle growing soviet oil supply failures network 1980s common feature system oil pipeline oil fields increasing time high reached percent failure rate year better known northern lights line petroleum deposit brest polish border line running near hungarian borders export pipeline gas field world countries including austria italy west_germany france belgium netherlands millimeter export pipeline kilometers long crossed mountains rivers including don stations yearly capacity billion cubic meters natural gas rail network soviet_union non industrial railway network kilometres kilometres electrified quality rail transport continued deteriorate russian civil war soviet leadership claimed railways sustainable continued increase advocated rail transport felt increased investment established rail tracks solve ongoing congestion crisis majority agreed increasing investments clear consensus investments believed railways meantime advocated railways coupled based actual cost reduce traffic demand provide funds investment leadership unable reach conclusion rail system continued deteriorate resolution decided increased investments coupled introduction newer trains solve crisis resolution carried system continued deteriorate ordered solve railway crisis areas traveled areas second priority investing heavy traffic lines efficient areas rail network left problem facing rail transport massive efforts pushed authorities proved heavy burden railways admitted 18th party congress soviet government continued efforts better prepare future war germany reality soviet rail transport great patriotic war developed world surpassing world counterparts soviet railway system growing size rate year growth rail transport world countries decreasing steady growth rail transport explained country need extract natural resources located close siberia problems railways reported soviet press soviet_union controlling electrified railway systems time country later lifespan trains usually carried coal oil construction material stone cement sand timber oil oil products key reasons building railway infrastructure siberia place efficiency railways improved time 1980s performance superior united_states 1980s soviet railways world soviet citizens private transport difficult drive long distances poor conditions roads explanation soviet policy model created regime regime little interest rail transport form transport instead focused country investments rapid regime interested establishing new railway lines decided conserve later expand existing railways left deputy premier soviet_union noted speech soviet_union railway sector main negative sector economy industrial output declined demand transportation led decline freight transport return rail transit soviet rapid transit system seen quickest way urban transport eventually point acquired greater significance authorities resources automobile industry rapid transit sector save substantial volume country diesel petrol rapid transit system usually cheaper operate energy consuming soviet authorities managed construct rapid nationwide construction soviet_union collapsed stations construction country rapid transit system world road network soviet_union road network kilometres kilometres paved kilometres dirt roads road transport played minor role soviet economy compared domestic rail transport world road transport according historian road traffic goods passengers combined percent volume rail transport late existence soviet authorities emphasis road construction maintenance vital role road transport usually played regional economies ussr road transport vital importance agriculture mining construction industry played significant role urban economy road network problems meeting people demand problem soviet leadership publicly acknowledged resolution laid plan improvement planning organisation efficiency local road transport enterprises freight transport motor vehicles commonly called motor transport soviet authorities nature nation road network considerable significance certain areas economy 1980s million laborers employed transport sector million employed motor transport inter city freight transport remained soviet percent motor borne freight average developments blamed cost administrative road transport far rail transport average distance moved motor transport kilometres average railway transport ton ton water freight increase investment motor freight transport increase inter city transport volume road freight transport increased significantly motor transport cheaper flexible short distances defined rail transport soviet argued transferring million tons railways road transport save million road transport times expensive railway transport long distances starting points destinations deteriorating quality roads bad attendance ongoing growth road transport harder soviet authorities focus resources attendance maintenance projects transport freight road increased percent past thirty years growth hardcore surfaced roads grown percent growth motor vehicles increased percent 1980s hardcore surfaced roads increased percent soviet early mid-1980s said soviet_union percent world industrial output percent world quality roads eleventh year plan spanned rules called construction additional hardcore surfaced roads far adequate solving shortage planners needed build twice roads meet consumer demand obstacle year plans ussr later life rarely fulfilled economic roads paved shortage dirt roads created percent households owned car productions cars increased dramatically late 1970s ussr produced million vehicles government passed years later produced million vehicles bus transport small proportion population ussr owned cars widespread lack mode private transport soviet citizens travelled public transport relative shortage cars good quality roads soviet people travelled twice bus train rapid transit people world soviet bus transport history soviet_union controlled regional republican branches rail transit systems environmental consumed little fuel soviet planners concentrated efforts constructing electricity driven fuel consuming transport mid-1980s government initiated programme compressed gas energy buses percent buses gas energy percent diesel soviet bus enterprises ran deficit time history mid late 1980s water transport soviet_union kilometres coastline ships merchant marine marine industry control ussr merchant marine russian_empire concentrated investment constructing new facilities merchant marine policy continued ussr percent merchant ships foreign built merchant marine overlooked regime ussr traded neighbouring countries soviet trade later expanded neighbouring countries asia died successor started increase trade non communist countries continents policy merchant marine increased million early 1950s million reached million tons percent world total million tons moved soviet merchant marine million export import merchant marine outdated slower world attracted consistent volume cargo reason technological merchant marine world induced soviet shipping led soviet_union isolated international shipping industry skip important innovations shipping containers rule soviet_union largest buyer new ships world size navy soviet government advocated traditional freedoms sea soviet_union operated large merchant fleet ships types world second largest number ships seventh largest carrying capacity ports soviet_union major ports inland ports ports total ports considered major world standards 1980s majority soviet ports world high number surplus workers redundant ussr introduce new advanced technology northeast territories ussr ports closed cold climate
Transport in the Soviet Union