The restored 71-passenger hydrofoil ferry Voskhod-50 began service between Perm and Sarapul on Russia’s Kama River earlier this month, thus returning to inter-regional passenger operation after 24 years.
Perm River Shipping Company operated the ferry from Perm River Station to Sarapul, calling at Krasnokamsk and Ust-Kachka before stopping in Chaikovsky. The eight-hour and 55-minute journey included passage through the Chaikovsky locks.
The Perm Governor’s administration said 59 tickets were sold for the first sailing. Voskhod-50 remained in Sarapul for two days before returning to Perm.
“The schedule has been arranged so passengers can spend the weekend in Sarapul or Chaikovsky,” the Perm Regional Transport Ministry said.
The timetable provides for Friday departures from Perm and Sunday returns from Sarapul. The return trip is scheduled to leave Sarapul at 10:00 and reach Perm at about 20:00.
The 1986-built Voskhod-50 underwent nearly nine months of restoration under a Perm regional program to resume river passenger services. Built in Feodosia, it received new main and auxiliary engines alongside hull and system repairs.
Windows and interior paneling were replaced, and passenger spaces and the wheelhouse were renovated. Surveillance, climate-control, safety and navigation equipment was also installed.
Russia’s river highways project, launched in October 2023, subsidises inter-regional routes agreed by participating regions on the Volga. Its 2026 expansion includes Kama services from Perm into Udmurtia.
The Russian Ministry of Transport said 27 high-speed routes were approved for 2026, with about 60,000 passengers forecast on subsidised services. It reported eight routes and 33,200 passengers in 2025.
