russian: Участок Чернигов–Овруч
be, Ўчастак Чарнігаў–Оўруч , native_name_lang = , color = , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image = Залізничний вокзал Чернігів.jpg , image_width = 300px , image_alt = , caption =

Chernihiv Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...

station building and platforms , type =

Commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

, system = , status = Partially active (84.4 km) , locale =

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, start =

, Ukraine , end =

Ovruch Ovruch ( uk, Овруч, pl, Owrucz, yi, , russian: О́вруч) is a city in Korosten Raion, in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Ovruch Raion (district). It has ...

, Ukraine , stations = , routes = , daily_ridership = , ridership2 = , open = , event1label = , event1 = , event2label = , event2 = , event3label = , event3 = , close = , owner =

Ukrainian Railways Ukrainian Railways ( uk, Укрзалізниця, Ukrzaliznytsia, abbreviated as UZ) is a state-owned joint-stock company of rail transport in Ukraine, a monopoly that controls the vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country. I ...

(UZ) , operator =

Southwestern Railways Southwestern Railways (PZZ), ( uk, Південно-Західна залізниця) headquartered in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is a component part of the Ukrzaliznytsia company, its regional branch. It is named "Southwestern" because it i ...

(PZZ) , character = , depot = , stock = , linelength_km = 177.5 , tracklength_km= , tracklength_mi= , tracklength = , tracks = , gauge = (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

) , old_gauge = , load_gauge = , minradius = , racksystem = , routenumber = , linenumber = , electrification = 25 kV 50 Hz AC (84,4 km) , speed_km/h = , speed_mph = , speed = , elevation_m = , elevation_ft = , elevation = , website = , map = , map_state = collapsed The Chernihiv–Ovruch railway is a partially

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

and partially operational

single track Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

railway line that stretches between the town of

and the city of

, in northern

, passing through southern

and the

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, Belarusian: Хона адчужэння Чарнобыльскай АЭС, ''Zona adčužennia Čarnobyĺskaj AES'', russian: Зона отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС ...

. The line is owned by

Ukrzaliznytsia Ukrainian Railways ( uk, Укрзалізниця, Ukrzaliznytsia, abbreviated as UZ) is a state-owned joint-stock company of rail transport in Ukraine, a monopoly that controls the vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country. I ...

alone, with railway stations located in Belarus being leased from the

government of Belarus The Government of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Урад Рэспублікі Беларусь), which consists of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus (), is the executive branch of state power in Belarus, and is appointed by the ...

. A portion of the line between railway stations Vilcha and Semykhody has not been in service since the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

, on 26 April 1986.

History

The line's construction started in 1928, as part of a modernization and development program of

( uk, Південно-Західна залізниця). It was opened for passenger traffic in 1930. Partially abandoned after the

of 1986, it works in its eastern section, between

and Semikhody, a terminus station near

Pripyat Pripyat ( ; russian: При́пять), also known as Prypiat ( uk, При́пʼять, , ), is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. Named after the nearby river, Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 19 ...

serving the

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP; ; ), is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Belarus–Ukraine border, ...

. This line section was

in 1988.

Route

Chernihiv-Slavutych-Pripyat

The line begins at the

central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

, capital of the

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

, located on the

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Gomel Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census). Etymology There are at least six narratives of the ori ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

line. After two minor stops within the city, it passes through a few small villages in

Chernihiv Raion Chernihiv Raion ( uk, Чернігівський район) is a raion (district) of Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Chernihiv. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of ...

. At Zhukotky station began a now closed

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

to Karkhivka and Zhydinychi. after Chernihiv the line reaches

Slavutych Slavutych ( uk, Славу́тич) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, purpose-built for the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the 1986 disaster that occurred near the city of Pripyat. Geographically l ...

, a city built in 1986 for the refugees fleeing the

. Its station replaced the pre-existing "Nerafa", demolished to build a larger station for the new city. After the stops in Lisnyi (in

) and Nedanchychi (in

) the line enters

' Oblast of Gomel, passing over the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

river. The station of Iolcha is the only functioning stop working on the Belarusian part of the line. It serves the villages of Staraya Iolcha, Novaya Iolcha, Krasnoe, and the near town of

Kamaryn Kamaryn is a village in the Brahin district of Belarus, near the Ukrainian town of Pripyat. Its population in 2017 was 1,777. It experienced heavy nuclear fallout during the Chernobyl disaster. Geography Kamaryn is on the Dnieper } The ...

, all in

Brahin Raion Brahin District or Brahinski Rajon ( be, Брагінскі раён, russian: Брагинский район, Bragin District), is a districts of Belarus, district of Gomel Region, in Belarus. Its administrative seat is the small town of Brahin ...

. After Iolcha, the line enters in the

Polesie State Radioecological Reserve The Polesie State Radioecological Reserve ( be, Палескі дзяржаўны радыяцыйна-экалагічны запаведнік, russian: Полесский государственный радиационно-экологич� ...

, created to enclose the territory of Belarus most affected by

radioactive fallout Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...

from the Chernobyl accident, through three abandoned stations. The first one, Kaporenka, was the interchange point (in russian: Пересадочная, "Peresadochnaya") of an abandoned

siding Siding may refer to: * Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house * Siding (rail) A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...

to a decontamination park. The line then reenters Ukraine, joining

Vyshhorod Raion Vyshhorod Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Vyshhorod. It has a population of On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast ...

, in

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...

, and the

Exclusion Zone An exclusion zone is a territorial division established for various, case-specific purposes. Per the United States Department of Defense, an exclusion zone is a territory where an authority prohibits specific activities in a specific geographic ...

. After Zymovyshche it passes over the

Pripyat River The Pripyat or Prypiat ( , uk, Прип'ять, ; be, Прыпяць, translit=Prypiać}, ; pl, Prypeć, ; russian: Припять, ) is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine ag ...

and past a branch to the new Semikhody terminal station."The Pripyat Railway Bridge" (Lost Places)
/ref> Built in 1988, the Semikhody station is a terminus that substitutes Semykhody stop, on the main line, and is the endpoint of the electrification and passenger service. Located in front of the

nuclear plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces elec ...

, close to the

New Safe Confinement The New Safe Confinement (NSC or New Shelter, rarely Arka) is a structure put in place in 2016 to confine the remains of the number 4 reactor unit at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in Ukraine, which was destroyed during the Chernobyl disast ...

, the terminus serves workers and is the only working station in

. Continuing on the main line, it passes the first industrial

for the Chernobyl Plant and, after the so-called '' Bridge of Death'', a second siding, just before Yaniv, the main station of Pripyat. The industrial line, which runs a loop around the nuclear plant passing between the 4 reactors and next to the

cooling pond A cooling pond is a man-made body of water primarily formed for the purpose of cooling heated water and/or to store and supply cooling water to a nearby power plant or industrial facility such as a petroleum refinery, pulp and paper mill, chemica ...

, is partially active because it allows goods and materials to be moved around the plant.

Pripyat-Vilcha-Ovruch

Yaniv station, located between Yaniv village and the southern suburb of

, was an important passenger hub before the nuclear accident. It is the nearest station to

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...

town, south, and nowadays is a railroad graveyard, with a high number of abandoned trains, making it one of the tourist sights in Pripyat. The station, refurbished in the 2010s, is used by workers of the society "Chornobylservis" ( ua, Чорнобильсервіс) for fixing heavy machinery. After leaving Pripyat, the line continues through a forested area, highly contaminated at several points. It is rarely used by freight trains serving the nuclear plant and passes several villages, such as Buriakivka, known for its large vehicle graveyard full of abandoned radioactive machinery. After Tovstyi Lis the line runs along the border between the "10-km" and "30-km" zones and enters

. It passes through the ghost town of Vilcha, north of

Poliske Poliske ( uk, Поліське) or Polesskoye (russian: Полесское) is an abandoned settlement and former urban-type settlement in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, part of Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh River and was an ...

, today one of the checkpoints to the Exclusion Zone. This section of the line is the most decrepit, with the track invaded by

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

and the

station building A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger railway station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers. A station building is a component of a station, which can include tracks, p ...

s mostly in ruins. Leaving Vilcha, the line enters Narodychi Raion of the

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

and after

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

(or Radcha), the line reaches

Ovruch Raion Ovruch Raion ( uk, Овруцький район) was a raion (district) of Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre was located at Ovruch. The raion covered an area of . The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the a ...

. It crosses several villages and ends at

station, on the line linking

Mazyr russian: Мозырь , nickname = , image_skyline = Mazyr Montage (2017).jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_flag = , image_shield = Coat of Arms of Mazyr, Belarus.svg , image_map = , map_caption ...

Korosten Korosten ( uk, Ко́ростень, ; historically also ''Iskorosten'' ) is a historic city and a large transport hub in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh River. Korosten serves as the administrative ce ...

. The Vilcha-Ovruch section, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' operating but ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' abandoned, has had no passenger services since 1986. Vilcha station was open until 2013.

Train services

Until 1986, the entire line was served by regional and long-distance trains such as the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Khmelnytskyi Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...

express service. Current passenger services include the following trains:

In popular culture

Ovruch station was mentioned in the 1963 book ''

The Truce ''The Truce'' ( it, La tregua), titled ''The Reawakening'' in the US, is a book by the Italian author Primo Levi. It is the sequel to '' If This Is a Man'' and describes the author's experiences from the liberation of Auschwitz ( Monowitz), whi ...

'' ( it, La tregua), by the Italian writer

Primo Levi Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was an Italian chemist, partisan, writer, and Jewish Holocaust survivor. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works ...

. It was a stop on his roundabout 1945 trip from the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

to his home in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

.''La Tregua''.

Einaudi Einaudi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Luigi Einaudi (1874–1961), Italian politician *Mario Einaudi (1905–1994), Italian political scientist, son of Luigi *Giulio Einaudi (1912–1999), Italian publisher, son o ...

, Turin, 1963 - Yaniv station appears as an accessible location in the 2009 video game '' S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat''.

Gallery

References

External links

Schematic map of the Southwestern Railway
. Southwestern Railway website.
wikimapia.orgRadioactive RailroadLost Places - Chornobyl Zone
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chernihiv Ovruch Railway Tourist attractions in Chernihiv Buildings and structures in Chernihiv Southwestern Railways Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Railway lines opened in 1930 Yaniv-Ovruch Buildings and structures in Chernihiv Oblast Buildings and structures in Gomel Region Buildings and structures in Kyiv Oblast Buildings and structures in Zhytomyr Oblast Tourism in Chernihiv