Rail Travel news.

According to the information of the Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Autonomic Crimea Republic from the very start of 2004 the peninsula was visited by 5 976 000 people among them more than 4 889 000 have arrived for tourism and rest. In comparision with the same period of 2003 the increase is equal to 918.4 thousand persons or 18%.
Most part of incomers used the railway transport while the air transfer was used by a little bit more than 293 000 persons which is by 76 000 more than in 2003 (informed Crimea.ru). The number of bus transfer tourists was increased by 54.4 thousand people.

According to the "Correspondent" information, "AeroSvit", one of the leading passenger flight tranfer airlines in Ukraine, can join the alliance which is being initiated with the participation of OAO "Krasnoyarsk airlines" (KrasAir). This information was decleared by the director of OOO "AirBridge" (the leading company of the alliance, Moscow).
Alexander Abramovich,
"Now we conduct negotiations, the process of joining the alliance - it is a long procedure and cannot be immediately realised. It is quite evident that by the end of this year we can officially designate "AeroSvit" but final process will take place in the very start of 2005", - said Abramovich.
He has also mentioned that the negotiations concerning other members from Russia to join the alliance are taking place  "but to the end of the year it is not evident that the number of current members will be increased".
"The Ukraine company while entering the alliance can use certain priority for the flight itinerary decleared for the alliance participants. In its turn the alliance can receive extra passengers which can, probably, flight through the West Ukraine to Europe" - declared the director of the central company.
Abramovich added that the participation of the Ukraine company in the alliance does not suppose the transfer of contol upon its business.
"It is possible to join our alliance on different base. Some companies transfer the business control to us. As for "AeroSvit" it will be the assisoative participation"-he clearified.
The "KrasAir" company became the inatiator of this alliance to be found, the participants of which became also "Domodedovo airlines", "Omskavia*, "Sibaviatrans" and "Samara" air company.
Andrey Egorov, the adviser of the General Director of "KrasAiro" informed that in one- two years of cooperation in the frames of the air companies alliance - this alliance participants can be united in one company.
It was supposed that this alliance will unite about 5-6 Russian air companies which can transfer totally in 2005 more than 5 million passengers on the itineraries inside Russia.
"AeroSvit" operates in more than 40 international air lines covering 25 countries. Nowdays "AeroSvit" has the greatest park of aircraft of the "Boing" family among the Ukraine air transfer companies - it has 7 medium range Boing 737 and 2 long range Boing 767.
 

Such was the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. According to this decision this airport of the Crimea town received the right to accept the international flights and with this aim the custom control for passengers was opened there. Now due to this innovation the flight companies can provide the direct flight from Kerch to Krasnoyarsk and Moscow. According to the information provided by Yuriy Bagrin, the director of the "Kerch"airport, the number of flight transfers provided for the foreign specialists working in the Subbotinsky oil-field has been significantly increased. And if in former days to pass the frontier control the aircrafts were landed on the intermedient airports now it is not necessary. Such positive changes will provide not only extra comfort for passengers but also convert the far east Crimea town into the real resort

The five-star hotel "Premier-Palace" in Kiev intends to set in operation the second part of the hotel until May 2005. According to the hotel's data, the building has been practically finished (the hotel is ready in 80-85%). Only make-up works have been going on in a new restaurant, cabaret and in quarters of a lobby-bar and an atrium. With the unveiling of a new part of the hotel a lounge bar, a squash-cafe "Volkonskiy" and a casino "Premier-Palace" plus an underground parking for 75 places will be added to the service list of the hotel. The number of suites in the second part is 289 units of different categories from single rooms up to presidential ones. The total area of an eight-storied hotel complex is 35600 square meters. The President of the hotel Alexander Litvin thinks that the creation of the hotel complex of the European level will let Kiev meet its quests and participants of "Eurovision". They began the construction of a new hotel in 2001. The building company "Aerobud" made contractor's work. The management of the hotel plans that the clientele flow in 2005 should be 62 thousand people. It was planned earlier that the second part of the hotel "Premier-Palace" would have started working by the end of 2004. "Premier-Palace" is a former hotel "Ukraine", which changed its name after renaming of the hotel "Moscow", which is located on the central square of Kiev. According to the hotel's data, 31, 1% of shares belong to the company "Ukrainian innovation financial company", 10, 5 % - to "LD Ukraine", 13, 4 % - to "Venture investment projects". The hotels of Kiev plan to invest about 60 million grivna for the preparations for tourists and participants' acceptance, taking part in the international competition "Eurovision" in May 2005.

The State research institute of urban designing "Giprograd" located in the capital of Ukraine takes into account the rational building of the additional railway station in Simferopol'. Boris Skorobogatov, the specialist in transport of the above-mentioned establishment suggests building of a new railway station in the region of the by-pass highway in Yalta. Such a station is thought to relieve a small railway station in the capital, but it will also release streets bordering to the railway station from numerous cars transporting passengers. These streets become a compact jam especially in summer time. After building of the station, it will be more comfortable for the train passengers, going to the health resort, to get to the Eastern Crimea and to the Southern Coast of the Crimea, and the city will breathe with relief, feeling freedom from many microbuses polluting the center. Skorobogatov also thinks that people will go to Sevastopol' and Nikolaevka from this station with building of the western by-pass highway. The governing body of the Ukrainian railway took up the question of building of a new railway station in the Crimean capital. This activity was approved.