Kiosks and peddlers were declared illegal around Moscow train stations Thursday as part of a drive to get rid of petty thieves, homeless people and stray dogs.
But many refused to leave, causing Russian Railways to start considering its legal options.
Russian Railways wants to replace kiosks and peddlers around Moscow train stations with flower beds and vending machines in an effort to follow an April order by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to “decriminalize” the country’s train stations, railways spokesman Dmitry Pisarenko said Thursday.
“The trade of food from kiosks in the street leaves food waste, which attracts criminal elements, homeless people and stray dogs,” Pisarenko said by telephone.
Kiosks and peddlers need to be removed so that “passengers can get quality service,” he said.
Under an agreement signed by City Hall and Russian Railways, or RZD, kiosks and peddlers around train stations were declared illegal from Thursday. But few tenants have shut their kiosks because “they don’t want to leave,” Pisarenko said, adding that RZD would start preparing lawsuits against such tenants after Oct.10.
Kiosks lined along the walls of the stations are located on territory belonging to RZD, while areas around the stations belong to the city authorities, Pisarenko said. RZD is negotiating with City Hall to control its territory.
Some tenants on RZD territory shut their kiosks along Yaroslavsky Station in May, while tenants of the city-controlled territory around the station will leave after the city leases its territory to RZD, Pisarenko said. He couldn’t predict when the hand-over would happen but said negotiations were ongoing.
Mayor Yury Luzhkov has targeted outdoor traders for years, saying they should be moved into shopping centers.
Kiosks and peddlers around Leningradsky Station were carrying out business as usual Thursday. Venders said they had heard about the crackdown but did not know when their kiosks would be shut down.
“My boss hasn’t told me anything,” said Marina, working at a food kiosk in front of the station.
Oksana, who was working at another food kiosk at the station, said “the issue is being solved.”
Marina and Oksana refused to give their last names.
Passengers lamented the planned removal of the kiosks, saying food and magazines cost more inside the station than on the street.
Rakhil Bikeyeva, 40, standing near a kiosk nibbling on a shwarma, a popular sandwich-like wrap usually sold by Central Asian migrants, said she opposed the removal of the kiosks.
“There are things that people buy along their way,” said Tatyana Tkachenko, 49, a resident of the Moscow region, who was holding a magazine that she had just bought from a street peddler. “At the stations, everything is much more expensive.”
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