Ivan Leontievich
Paristy
1930-2005
Ivan Leontievich Paristy was a Soviet and Russian railway worker who served as the head of the Moscow Railroad from 1978 to 1999. He was the first and only person to lead the Moscow Railways in both the Soviet and Russian eras, leaving a significant impact on the development of rail transport in Russia. Paristy was born into a family of railway workers and displayed an early interest in trains. He began his career as a station attendant in Bryansk in 1954, where he worked for several years before attending the Dnepropetrovsk Institute of Railway Engineering. After graduating with honours, he joined the Bryansk branch of the Moscow Railroad and eventually became its head in 1962. In 1968, Paristy was appointed as deputy head of the Moscow Railroad, and in 1978, he took over as its leader. During his tenure, several major projects were completed, including the organization of high-volume traffic and the inauguration of the world’s first 10,000-ton freight train in 1980. The reconstruction of Moscow railway stations – Kazansky, Kievsky, Yaroslavsky, and Belorussky, among others – played a significant role in improving the infrastructure and increasing the capacity of the railway. This included the modernization of the network and the extension of platforms at 350 stations, allowing for the use of longer trains. Under Paristy’s leadership, the Moscow Railway became the leader in passenger transportation in the USSR, serving approximately 1.5 billion passengers annually, accounting for about a third of all passenger traffic on Soviet railways. In 1997, an encyclopedic album titled “Moscow Railway” was published under his guidance, becoming an important source of information on the development of the railway infrastructure. The album was republished several times, providing valuable insights into the history and evolution of the railroad. Paristy paid great attention to personnel issues, having raised a whole galaxy of successful managers in the railway industry. Among them are the heads of several major Russian railways, who have achieved great success. He also attached great importance to feedback from passengers and railway workers. He regularly met with citizens and railway workers, taking part in solving their problems and ensuring timely payment of wages. This became especially important during the difficult 1990s. For his outstanding achievements in organizing the Moscow Railway and for his contribution to the development of railway infrastructure, Ivan Leontievich received many awards, including the title of Honoured Citizen of Moscow. His approach to management and focus on personnel had a significant impact on the development of Russian railway transport.
Address: Moscow, Stavropol St., 23, room 1, building 1
