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06 August 2004
By Igor Tabakov
Seventy-five years ago this Thursday, at 6:54 a.m., Russia's first electric commuter train departed from Yaroslavsky Station. Accelerating to some 90 kilometers per hour, the elektrichka raced the 17.8 kilometers from Moscow to the suburb of Mytishchi in just 24 minutes -- 11 minutes faster than its steam-driven predecessor. At first, elektrichkas ran only during daylight hours, but today they depart morning to night from nine Moscow stations, their bustle and noise a part of city life. Photograph by Igor Tabakov.
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