В 1899 году в Москве впервые пустили электрический трамвай

Here is what Moskovskiye Vedomosti newspaper informed the readers about on the next day: “On March 25, the official ceremony of opening a long-awaited electric tram line was held. This line organized by the First Company of Horse-Drawn Railways on one of suburban routes runs from Butyrka Gateway to Petrovsky Park. In this respect, a prayer with blessing of water took place at the depot near Bashilovka. Soon the first tramcar with officials and dignitaries on board started on its way, and tricolored ribbon was cut at the exit from the depot. After that, four more tramcars with the guest invited to the ceremony started in close succession… The passengers saw at first hand the advantage of electric traction over the horse one. All of them wished Moscow were covered by a network of electric trams soon.”

And this is what remained beyond the framework of newspaper story: by that time, the tram invented in Berlin had been already in operation on the territory of Russian Empire – In Kiev, Nizhny Novgorod, Kursk and Yekaterinoslav. It is the tram that the residents of Moscow should thank for the opportunity of learning the exact time at daytime and night. Before the revolution, the tram fare would double after 11 p.m. In order to put an end to heated arguments, illuminated outdoor clocks were installed on tram utility poles. In 1920, the capital was really covered by a tram network, and trams would even become guilty parties in traffic accidents. Just remember the accident that happened to Mikhail Berlioz in Patriarshiye Ponds from novel The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Later, the passengers disappeared without a trace, a subway was built in Moscow and took the fame of the most popular public transport away from the tram. Today, there are about 45 tram lines in the capital. However, the overwhelming majority of these routes run beyond the boundaries of Garden Ring Road.