Ministry of Railways (Soviet Union)

The Ministry of Railways (Russian: Министерство путей сообщения (МПС) Российской империи/СССР/РФ or Народный комиссариат путей сообщения (НКПС), more correctly translated as Ministry/People's Commisariat of Transportation^[1]) oversaw Soviet Railways, which operated the railways of the Soviet Union. It was divided into 32 agencies, which among them had millions of employees. The ministry was responsible for centralized departments (such as electrification), which applied to all subsidiaries.

Ministry of Railways of the USSR

Министерство путей сообщения СССР
All ministry seals of the Soviet Union used the Soviet coat of arms
Agency overview
Formed	6 July 1923
Preceding agency	People's Commissariat of Communication Routes
Dissolved	20 January 1992
Superseding agency	Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation [ru]
Jurisdiction	Government of the Soviet Union
Headquarters	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Before 1946 the ministry was known as the People's Commissariat of Communication Routes, although the term "Ministry of Railways" had been used by the pre-Soviet ministry (founded in 1865).

Commissars and Ministers

The following persons headed the Commissariat/Ministry as commissars (narkoms), ministers, and deputy ministers during the Soviet era:^[2][3]

• Ivan Kovalev (19/3/1946 - 5/6/1948)
• Boris Beshchev (5/6.1948 - 14/1/1977)
• Ivan Pavlovsky (14/1/1977 - 29/11/1982)
• Nikolai Konarev (1/12/1982 - 26/10/1990)
• Leonid Matyukhin (8/5/1991 - 24/8/1991)

See also

• Ministry of Transport (Russia)
• Rail transport in the Soviet Union