Work on the first tramway line started in 1914 and it was opened on 26 June 1916. Until 1956 Arkhangelsk had two separate tramway networks – one running on the mainland and the other on the island of Solombala as there was no bridge to carry the trams over the Kuznechikha river. At certain times during the winter, tracks were laid directly on the ice (a similar method was used in
St Petersburg during some winters). The opening of the Kuznechevskiy Bridge in 1956 made it possible to connect the two networks permanently. With the demise of the
Soviet Union, public transport services declined in many Russian cities. In Arkhangelsk, the Solombala network was shut down in 2000, the official reason being the bad condition of the Kuznechevskiy Bridge. Two years later there were severe cuts to the tramway lines on the mainland. The last tram returned to the depot on 21 July 2004. After this the tramway tracks were removed from the main streets. == Stock ==