Ženskeldava Railway Station

The building of the station, showing the bus stop to the town centre.

## Localisation

Ženskeldava railway station (also written *Zhenskeldava*) is the railway station serving the town of Ženskeldava. It is located at the end of the Zhenskeldava Branch Line, approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) south-east from Gladiorka.

## Description

The station serves as a terminus station for the Zhenskeldava Branch Line, and both its platforms are bay platforms. The platform number 2 is now disused - but not officially closed - and all trains are calling at platform number 1 . None of the lines are electrified and all services are diesel powered only. There is a small depot near the station, formed of two carriage sidings that are generally used only in case of a faulty train.

The station itself has a waiting room and a staffed office that sales tickets and fares. The office is opened from 7 h 00 to 11 h 00 and from 14 h 00 to 17 h 00, Tuesday to Saturday, except during winter holidays, while it is also opened on Sundays and Mondays but closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At the remaining times, people can buy their tickets using automatic tickets machines. The main station particularity is that the building also serves as staff housing for the ticket saler and his family.

Ženskeldava railway station has a large amount of people using it for a rural station, because of the city attractiveness for skiers during winter. Some people also travel daily to Gladiorka, Sigyevnah or Xeristoh as commuters. There is a limited commuter phenomenon to the station as well, because of Ženskeldava Hokevor sawmill being a relatively large employer in the area.

## History

### Overview

The station first opened in 1887 along with the opening of the Zhenskeldava Branch Line. It was not originally a terminus station as the line was continuing until Ženskeldava High Station (*Ženskeldava Ędaja Strijeva* in ruthenian), that was five kilometers away from this station. It was decided to close this section in 1971 with the present station becoming the terminus. The remaining tracks were removed a few years later and today there are not a single testimony of the ancient line, mainly due to the fast expansion of the residential areas of the town. At the time, the station was rebuilt and modernised with the construction of a waiting room. The two tracks of the station were made into bay platforms.

### Accidents & Incidents

There were no serious accidents or incidents at the station at all. The only noticeable event was on July 7, 2016, a Thursday, when a service from Gladiorka ran into the end buffers at a speed of 6 mph (10 km/h). No one was injured but the unit suffered from minor damages. The station was then experiencing a severe thunderstorm with heavy showers, making the rails very slippery.

## Services

All services at the station are operated by the RKP East-Sansek. There are only RP calling here, with two different commercial services :

* RP Ženskeldava - Gladiorka
* RP Ženskeldava - Xeristoh

RP to Gladiorka are operated by BRK122 DMUs although RP to Xeristoh are operated by BRK161 DMUs. The current service pattern on weekdays is made of one train per hour to and from each destination, the preceding station being Edreževa.

On winter holidays week-ends, the RKP East-Sansek runs specials services to and from Tarna and Floeta. There is generally one journey per week to each direction. The train from Tarna comes on saturdays morning, calling at Senfera and Gladiorka, while the train from Floeta comes on fridays evening, without stopping at all. Both trains run back to their respective cities on saturdays afternoon. They are generally operated by BRK161 DMUs, but it is not unusual to see locomotive hauled stock affected to those services.