Railway section of Crimean Bridge fully reopened ahead of schedule - Russian Deputy PM Khusnullin

ROSTOV-ON-DON. May 5 (Interfax) - A second railway track on the Crimean Bridge has been reopened to traffic following repairs, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said.

"Construction workers have accomplished a real feat by restoring this important facility. Owing to their selfless work, the bridge's automobile section was fully reopened in February, a month and a half ahead of schedule. Now we've launched traffic via the second track of the railway section, and we've done it ahead of schedule as well," Khusnullin wrote on Telegram.

The people involved in the repairs worked round the clock in two shifts to replace two spans of the bridge, which needed 524 tonnes of metal components, he said.

Khusnullin thanked everyone involved in repairing the bridge. "I consider it symbolic that traffic across the Crimean Bridge has been resumed in the run-up to one of the most important holidays in our country, Victory Day. The conclusion of the work is a victory for our entire team," he said.

Khusnullin earlier announced that the railway section of the Crimean Bridge would be reopened to traffic by June 1, while the previously set deadline was July 1.

On the morning of October 8, 2022, a truck exploded on the road section of the Crimean Bridge, setting fire to the fuel tanker cars of a nearby freight train and causing two spans of the two-lane Krasnodar-Kerch roadway to collapse. Several people died in the accident. A criminal case on terrorism charges was opened.

The Kerch-Taman roadway section of the bridge remained intact, and vehicle traffic via this section, as well as railway traffic, was resumed the same day. Automobile traffic via all four lanes of the bridge was reopened on February 23, 2023.