The predecessor of the University of Railways and Communications in St. Petersburg was the “educational building” of the Department of Water Communications, organized in 1798. In 1809, the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers was opened at its base . The creation of the university was a vivid example of the orientation of the country's leadership towards the continuation of the technological race with the countries of Europe, begun by Peter the Great.
History of creation
The vast continental empire, which was then Russia, required an extensive and high-quality network of communication routes. First of all, at the beginning of the XlX century, it was about the construction of roads, lanes and the arrangement of river highways.
The maintenance, design and construction of such a network required a large number of well-trained specialists, since weather conditions created significant obstacles to transport. For example, shipping on Russian rivers ceased in the winter, and movement against the tide required the help of barge haulers.
In the first years of its existence, the future University of Railways and Communications of St. Petersburg had the status of a cadet corps, that is, it was closely connected with such educational and scientific institutions as the Academy of Sciences, the Main Engineering School, as well as St. Petersburg University, created a little later.
The early structure of the institute
The first head of the newly created institute was Augustin Augustinovich Betancourt, who had the post of inspector general. It was under him that the first mechanical laboratory was created in the educational institution and a museum was organized, known today as the Central Museum of Railway Transport.
Initially, the University of Railways and Communications in St. Petersburg was a closed educational institution with military discipline, and its graduates even received the rank of lieutenants and second lieutenants. The term of study under such a system, including gymnasium classes, reached eight years.
However, the ever-expanding network of transport routes required a larger number of attendants, and in 1820 a three-year school was established to train craftsmen and technicians. Thus, we can speak about the process of specialization of education that has begun since 1820.
First railways
In 1835, an article on the preparation of the railroads was published in the scientific journal of the institute, authored by Professor Matvey Stepanovich Volkov. From this moment, the educational institution began the regular training of engineers for the construction and regular operation of railways.
All lectures given at that time were divided into three parts: the upper structure of the railway track, the traction of locomotives, and the rolling stock of the railways. There was a course at the institute on drafting future railways. Thus, all the prerequisites for the active development of the road network were created.
The Institute has become a kind of platform for popularizing the idea of building a new type of transport infrastructure, as the most progressive researchers and engineers saw in this technology impressive prospects for the Russian economy. An example, of course, was Great Britain, which also actively built an extensive network of railways.
In addition to engineering surveys, academic theoretical science was actively developed at the university. For example, the school of descriptive geometry, formed at the university, has long remained one of the most influential in world science.
Current state
In the XXl century, the quality development and maintenance of transport routes have not lost their relevance. The more sophisticated the technologies that ensure the transport connectivity of a huge country become, the more high-quality education is required from university graduates.
Currently, the following faculties of the University of Ways and Communications in St. Petersburg are training specialists:
- Automation and information technology;
- Department of Transport Construction;
- Transport and energy systems;
- Transportation management and logistics;
- Industrial and civil engineering;
- Economics and management;
- Continuous forms of learning;
- Pre-university training.
In addition to the educational activity itself, the university also conducts active scientific and research activity. The educational institution has several scientific laboratories in which students from the first courses get the opportunity to join in scientific activities.
In addition, the university actively cooperates with large Russian enterprises involved in the transportation of goods, which creates the necessary prerequisites for employment and the involvement of graduates in active economic activity. Petersburg State University of Railway Engineering is considered one of the best engineering universities in the country.
The university to this day remains a broad-based educational institution in which various disciplines are taught, and the possibility of inter-faculty connections provides a truly university level of teaching.