Russian railway workers celebrate professional holiday.

MOSCOW, August 3 (Itar-Tass) - More than a million Russians are
celebrat ing their professional holiday on Sunday - the Day of Railway
Workers.

This holiday dates back to 1896. "Originally, it was marked on July 8 - the name day of Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The construction of first railway tracks began in Russia under his rule. On July 8, officials and employees of all Russian railways gathered for a friendly dinner in hall of the Pavlovsk railway station in St. Petersburg.

After the 1917 October Revolution, the Bolsheviks abolished the
holiday. The tradition resumed only in 1937 to mark the achievements of Soviet railway workers in increasing freight and passenger carriages. In July 1937, the best workers of Russian railways asked the Soviet government to continue marking their labour achievements every year.

Since June 28, 1937 the Day of Russian Railway Workers has been marked
every first Sunday of August.

On Sunday, celebrations and concerts will be held in all Russian
cities linked with the railway industry. The main celebrations will
traditionally be held in Moscow's Gorky Park. Representatives of 17
Russian railways will arrive in Gorky Park.

The festivities' organizers say that rainy weather forecast by the Met Offices unlikely to spoil the holiday atmosphere.

However, despite a professional holiday all Russian railways will
continue working according to their daily schedule. The Russian railway network is more than 86, 000 kilometres long. It is the world's second largest railway network after the United States.