RADIOACTIVE RAILROAD
clear Power Station was commissioned in 1977. Three more reactors were brought on line between 1978 and 1983, with two more under construction. Though only a few years old, the
plant’s fourth reactor met its destructive end during the early morning hours of April 26, 1986. Unexpected power spikes experienced during a special systems test led to a coolant failure, culminating
CHERNIHIV
in a massive explosion and release of a toxic radioactive plume into the atmo- sphere. The series of events that followed created an unprecedented wide-spread environmental disaster that forced the government to evacuate Pripyat and the surrounding areas. Ultimately, it also conributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and to the independence of Ukraine, but at a significant cost.
PERMANENTLY CONTAMINATED: THE RAILROAD GRAVEYARD
The final long-distance train to pass through Yaniv station was No. 191, the daily Moscow to Khmelnitsky run. It was unusually warm on April 26, 1986, and many passengers had the windows open, enjoying the breeze and unwit- tingly exposing themselves to dangerous radiation. Despite the unfolding danger, the train operated normally through to April 29, when it passed Yaniv without stopping. By April 30 and forever after the Moscow to Khmelnitsky train was redirected through Kyiv, avoiding the
LEFT: Chernihiv station was constructed in 1950 by German POWs. The original station was destroyed in 1941 by the invading Nazis. Chernihiv is a fairly active station, receiving long-distance passengers from Russia and Belarus and commuter service from Iolcha and Nizhin. The first four tracks are usually reserved for passenger trains, while the further tracks are for freight movements. BELOW: A train originating at Nedanchychi arrives at its final destination, Chernihiv station. Slavutych is the largest city along the line, thus the majority of people disembarking are from there. Latvian-built ER9T electric multiple-unit trains are commonplace on commuter runs between Slavutych and Chernihiv.
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