The work is devoted to the study of the new role of the transport university in the conditions of anti-Russian sanctions. The paper raises such questions as “Is the politicization of science and education a challenge or a panacea? Forced deglobalization of university activities — a point of growth? The crisis for the industry is a time of opportunity?” It is shown that the mission of a modern university is leadership in the creation of fundamentally new equipment, technologies and human capital for transport.

Materials from open Internet sources, tools of ecosystem and project approach, methods of system analysis, theory of synergetics and innovation management were used.

The key scientific results of the work of PGUPS in 2022 aimed at ensuring the technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation are presented. The role of the scientific results obtained by PGUPS in the national economy in the following tracks is shown: new materials and technologies in construction; automation and digitalization; expert and scientific and methodological support for the implementation of large-scale transport projects; cooperation with academic and high-tech partners.

It can be assumed that the intellectual potential of a branch university as a supplier of “engineering special forces” for solving engineering problems of global relevance can and should guarantee the breakthrough high-tech development of the domestic transport ecosystem. 

In the modern requirements for the results of mastering the main professional educational program, great attention is paid to the formation of applied qualifications and the training of qualified personnel, as well as ensuring the variability of the educational program for the implementation of employers’ requests. Therefore, teachers need to adjust and update teaching methods and technologies taking into account the professional orientation of the secondary vocational education programs, implement intensive training elements, application modules, use remote, electronic and network forms of training. Such technologies contribute to the active development of the personality of the future specialist.

The use of modern educational technologies based on the use of active teaching methods is one of the important means of forming a competitive person. The number of such methods is quite large, but the most popular and relevant are gaming technologies.

The principle of the activity of students in the process of training was and remains one of the main ones in pedagogy. To develop motivation to learn and acquire new skills, the best method is the use of such pedagogical technology as gaming.

Volunteerism, choice, competitive components, self-affirmation and self-realization ensure high learning outcomes when using gaming technologies. The process of assimilating knowledge and skills during the game becomes natural.

The use of gaming technologies in classes has proved their success both in improving the efficiency of training and in solving the many problems facing teachers.

Gaming technologies are profitably different from other teaching methods in that they allow students to be personally involved in achieving their goals, make it possible to immerse themselves for some time in “real” life situations and look for a solution to the problems that have arisen. 

Currently, there is a radical restructuring of secondary vocational education in all spheres of industry production of the Russian Federation, in particular, in the railway transport industry, where special attention is paid to the development of highly qualified personnel potential. On September 1, 2022, the program of the Ministry of Education of Russia “Professionalitet” was launched, which included the railway industry. The main goal of the program is to organically connect the system of training highly qualified middle-level personnel with production industries, as well as to make training in vocational education programs less costly for the state budget.

Nine leading educational institutions of the country, including the Perm Institute of Railway Transport, a branch of the Ural State Transport University, became the navigator of the federal project “Professionalitet” in the railway industry.

At the Institute, “Professionalitet” included three specialties: 08.02.10 “Construction of railways, track and track facilities”; February 23, 2006 “Technical operation of rolling stock of railways (specialization locomotives)”; 27.02.03 “Automation and telemechanics in transport (railway transport)”. Equipment standards have been developed for each of the specialties. 

The world is changing rapidly, what was relevant yesterday is no longer in demand in the modern labor market. The main task of secondary vocational education is to keep up with the times and prepare qualified specialists to meet the needs of the modern economy. The article examines the problem of the importance of soft-skills development in the structure of secondary vocational education, raises the question of closer attention to educational programs in terms of the development of personal qualities and human capital. The author reveals the concept of “soft” skills, and also draws attention to the abilities that are most in demand by modern employers. The definition of “hard skills” is given and it is shown why only complex possession of “soft” and “hard” qualities allows you to be a high-class specialist. The methods of developing “soft” skills in the process of obtaining secondary vocational education are proposed. The article summarizes the experience of the teaching staff of the Vologda Technical School of Railway Transport in the field of the formation of supra-professional skills: pedagogical technologies used by teachers in the classroom are presented, a variety of extracurricular activities that contribute to the harmonious development of the student is described. The article is written based on scientific literature, as well as regulatory and legal sources. 

The article deals with the development of secondary vocational education in the context of internationalization processes. International cooperation is one of the priorities in the development of the system of secondary vocational education. This is due to the need to constantly update the content and technologies of vocational education in accordance with current and future requirements for the qualifications of employees and international standards. One of the promising areas for the internationalization of vocational education can be international competitions and championships of professional skills in the WorldSkills format. The article describes the experience of the Far Eastern State Transport University (FESTU) in organizing the WorldSkills BRICS championship in the competence of “Rail Transport Technology” in 2022.

The development of the movement of championships of professional excellence entails the development of professional and expert communities; advanced training of personnel, including engineering and working professions and skills, including through the organization of Russian and international competitions in professional skills. Such championships can become one of the leading forms of internationalization of vocational education, thereby significantly improving its quality. 

The problem of training the specialists of a vocational secondary education is actual even today. The work of the teaching staff of the Orenburg Medical College — Orenburg Institute of Railway Transport — a branch of SamGUPS, which celebrates its 85-th anniversary in February 2022 was being analyzed in the context of the regional personnel training system development.

The questions of the medical college’s history are concerned, as well as the main directions of the teaching staff ’s work and the organization of the educational process in connection with the pandemic. As a part of practical training the college also interacts with medical and social organizations on the basis of social partnership agreements.

The works of the Russian and foreign specialists in the researched area, as well as the results of the survey; opinions of graduates on the employment’s problems in the pandemic; the results of the monitoring the employment of the graduates of Orenburg Medical College in 2019–2021 and the role of the social partnership in by solving the problem of graduate employment compose the methodological basis of the study.

The analysis of empirical material, which was obtained by the survey method of investigating the opinions of the college students, demonstrated, that our graduates are revealing an increased level of activity during the period of a job search, they also prefer to address directly to employers and to pay attention to the working conditions. The college administration needs to pay special attention to the problems of assistance by the employment opportunities of the graduates.

The formation of the personality of the future medical worker in the specialties “Nursing” and “Medical Business”, which are presented in the medical college, is introduced as the trends of the college staff ’s work. 

Currently, container transportation is one of the modern and convenient ways to deliver goods. This is the most progressive way to optimize transport processes. The use of containers in multimodal transportation of goods contributes to the inclusion of Russia in the transport network of the world, expands the possibilities of using the transit potential of our country, and increases the competitiveness of the domestic transport system. The main advantage of transportation of goods in containers is the possibility of their transfer to adjacent modes of transport without reloading the cargo. This is very important in the interaction of sea and rail transport, at the points of interaction between a port station and a seaport. The use of terminals when reloading containers from one mode of transport to another can also be more efficient compared to a number of other cargo flows. It would be relevant to study the change in the dynamics of container traffic transported by rail and sea in the Russian Federation, as the most promising in the context of the predicted growth of post-pandemic world trade. The result of the article was an analysis of the dynamics of container turnover over several years, and graphs were drawn up of changes in the volume of container transportation in TEU by rail and sea transport. Used public access materials and official sites, research by various scientists. 

The existing scheme of classification of transport routes (railways and roads) depending on the intensity of the traffic load — flows of vehicles and speeds of their movement — is shown. It is noted that there are no universal classifications of transport routes at the global level within the same transport mode. There are national, regional and network-based pathway classification systems. Due to the development of digital traffic management systems in transport, classifications of lines of transport depending on the level of automation of the rolling stock have started to appear. The classifications adopted in the Transport Strategy of the Russian Federation for the main modes of transport — land (railways, roads), water (maritime and river transport) — considered. Bearing in mind the railway transport of the Russian Federation, the set of basic concepts adopted in the Provisional National Standard of the Russian Federation given the levels of automation in the control system of railway rolling stock in automatic and remote modes, predetermining the requirements for railway infrastructure — structures and devices, respectively. A similar situation found in the classification system for smart roads proposed by the International Road Congress Association. A conclusion on the need to revise the normative documentation for the design of construction (reconstruction) of communication lines to include a calculated level of automation formulated. 

The existing telecommunication network the construction principle of which is nowadays based on active equipment that is required to be serviced due to its outmoded technology was considered. The modernization measures of telecommunication network at large freight terminals with the use of PON technologies which allow to complete properly and on time freigh handling, receipt of cargo, dispatch of cargo, making up and breaking down of cargo trains, shunting works were provided. It was decribed the stucture of PON technology which includes one OLT optical line terminal per network, a set of nodes of ONT subscribers connected to OLT by means of splittera over one fibre. OLT allocates time for information broadcasting to avoid the overlap of outgoing signals, to improve communication quality, noise immunity from ONT subcribers. Modernization of telecommunication network suppose the replacement of existing electrical cables laid in the cable channels on the fiber optic. Located at the station equipment and ATS Definity SI in the line-switching room will be removed. There will be a new small-size multifunctional equipment which allow to connect a large number of subscribers providing a broad range of service. Properly selected type of optical cable will allow to achieve a long duration of use of a new technological network with further development prospects, to use it only for organizing work at a large freight railway station. 

Various systems of maintenance and repair of traction rolling stock have been studied using the example of multiple unit rolling stock, and their comparison has been made. The analysis of existing, historically formed systems of preventive maintenance, and perspective maintenance and repair systems based on technical diagnostics data is carried out.

As an example, the COMPACS® system is considered, which is a universal system for complex monitoring of the technical condition of equipment, which has a flexible distributed parallel-serial architecture that provides high speed and accuracy of information processing. The main advantage of COMPACS® is the availability of an automatic expert decision support system. The expert system is designed for automatic diagnostics and prediction of the technical condition of the equipment. The task of the expert system is to assist the personnel in making the necessary informed decisions on the management of the operating mode and the state of the equipment. The system of work is described, as well as the scope and principle of operation of this complex monitoring system.

The author comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to create an integrated repair system with a scientifically substantiated regulatory effect on equipment, taking into account the actual technical condition of the units and assemblies of the electric locomotive. 

The purpose of the study is to study the reaction of passengers and customers to the further use of the services provided at the infrastructure facilities of the passenger complex through the main “trigger effects” and behavioral reactions, as well as the possible consequences of their occurrence and the influence of emotional coloring on the assessment of the quality of services. The need for local studies of the “behavioral factors” of the passenger through the element of the “trigger effect” is substantiated, when part of the research will be aimed at result-oriented and proactive introduction of a new service or its automation.

Cause-and-effect relationships, simulation modeling, algorithmization, data analysis, block diagramming, etc. are applied. The main parameters (“trigger factors”) of passengers’ refusal to use the services of the station complex are identified.

The presented developments will allow to substantiate the relationship between the introduced digital services and the transition to individual automated devices (systems) through an assessment of the perception and reaction of passengers to the services provided and offered, the degree of interaction between passengers and Russian Railways. It is proposed to adjust the life cycle of any service, taking into account possible errors and the influence of “triggers” for a more controlled and reasonable opinion of passengers. Based on the results of the study and the data obtained, it is possible to revise the methodology for assessing the level of passenger satisfaction with the quality of railway transport services and loyalty, which will take into account additional factors (behavioral and trigger) of individualization of services. 

In this article is investigated the influence of the re-equipment of road transport on natural gas on environmental safety, on the change in the content of emissions of toxic and carcinogenic substances with exhaust gases. Most traditional fuels do not provide low emissions, even though the requirements are constantly tightening. The high content of harmful substances in the combustion products of automobile engines has a negative impact on the environment and health of humankind. This makes us pay attention to alternative fuels, especially natural gas, and its applicability in road transport and the conditions for achieving the required level of environmental safety.

The comparison shows that, in terms of physicochemical characteristics, natural gas has advantages over traditional fuels. This justifies its applicability in road transport. An analysis of works in the fi eld of studying the amount and concentration of harmful substances in combustion products for engines completely converted to gas and gas diesel engines, shows that natural gas is the most environmentally friendly fuel. However, in order to achieve the required level of environmental friendliness, it is necessary to consider the type of transport, conditions, mode of operation, etc.

From the analysis, a conclusion was made about the ability of natural gas to provide the necessary level of environmental safety. 

The historical events that predetermined the current state of domestic railways in the context of the daily life of compatriots are described. It is emphasized that, having given birth to a new tradition of messages, the Russians have created a new system of relations with the world.

The railroad played a leading role in this and has a long and honorable history. The railway, the famous Russian cast-iron, has a long and honorable history. They gave a huge impetus to the development of mail and telegraph (the telegraph was already on the first highway St. Petersburg — Moscow, Tsar Nicholas expressed the liveliest interest in it, asked the telegraph operator to find out the weather in St. distance.

Subsequently, the appearance of the cast iron changed: a contact network with a walking row of poles, modern locomotives and wagons, reinforced concrete sleepers, standard structures came to it, a train ticket can be taken without leaving home — this is inevitable and correct. In 1988, the railways of the USSR carried a quarter of the world freight turnover. Without railways, one cannot imagine the history and fate of the Russian state, and literally in all areas of its life. 

This year the Siberian College of Transport and Construction celebrates its 120th anniversary. The history of the college is interesting and unique, it has gone from technical classes to one of the largest secondary specialized educational institutions in the region. Today, the educational institution is actively changing, preserving the heritage and responding to the new requirements of a rapidly changing market.

The Siberian College of Transport and Construction is confidently keeping pace with the times, constantly expanding its presence and recognition not only in the region, but also beyond its borders, increasing its material and technical base, opening new specialties at the request of employers and successfully passing professional public accreditation of existing ones. 

Vologda Technical School of Railway Transport — a branch of the PSUPS, one of the oldest educational institutions of secondary vocational education in the region, traces its history back to 1902, this year it turns 120 years old. Over the years of its existence, the educational organization has experienced different periods of its development, closely related to the history of the country, with the stages of development of railway transport. Loyalty to traditions, the ability to work for the future allow the college to be among the leading educational institutions of secondary vocational education in the country, this is confirmed by its graduates who successfully realize themselves in the railway industry. Some of them became doctors and candidates of sciences, heads of structural divisions of JSC “Russian Railways”, heads of factories, heads of depots, heads and masters of workshops, high-class machinists.

The article presents an essay on the 120-year history of the Vologda Technical School of Railway Transport. The experience of the teaching staff in the field of formation of a highly qualified specialist in demand in the modern labor market is summarized. The achievements of the teaching staff and students at the present time are demonstrated. The article is based on scientific literature, historical sources and regulatory legal acts. 

Novosibirsk College of Transport Technologies named after N.A. Lunin celebrates a centenary. All implemented professional educational programs have successfully passed professional and public accreditation, and the college has passed the procedure for independent assessment of the quality of the conditions for the implementation of educational activities. Every year the college graduates over 300 specialists, of which at least 90 % are employed at the enterprises of the West Siberian Railway.

For high performance in the training of young specialists, the college was awarded diplomas and letters of thanks from the administration of the Novosibirsk Region, the management of Russian Railways and the West Siberian Railway. Repeatedly, the educational institution became the winner of the Interregional competition “Enterprise of the Year of Siberia” and the city competition “Novosibirsk Mark”, the college was listed on the Board of Honor of Novosibirsk.

Currently, 1,235 students study at the college full-time, including 350 in the Baraba branch. Every year more than 1,000 people improve their qualifi cations, undergo training and retraining at the vocational training department. Consistently high indicators of the quality of education have been achieved: the state task for the admission of students, the safety of the contingent, and employment is carried out annually. 

The history of the creation and formation of the Medical College of the Ural State University of Railway Transport, its traditions, as well as the activities of the college staff for the training of medical workers are considered.

The main directions of the development of the college at the present stage are shown: strengthening the material base, software, methodological and information support, participation in the WorldSkills championship and competitive movement.

Currently, Medical College is successfully working in the field of educational services in the Sverdlovsk region. This is facilitated by the combination of the best pedagogical traditions, fixed by almost a century of history, with the latest achievements in the field of medicine, pedagogy and teaching methods. The mission of the educational organization is to train a qualified medical specialist of the appropriate level and profile of education, competitive in the labor market, fluent in his profession and oriented in related fields of activity, ready for continuous professional growth, social and professional mobility.

Every year, college graduates who want to continue their education successfully pass exams for medical schools. For 85 years of work, the college has produced more than six thousand specialists in various fields: midwives, paramedics, nurses, laboratory assistants. Many of them have achieved great success in their professional activities. In the last five years alone, more than 650 people have graduated from the college.