Chernobyl Tram Displays Grim Past

By MARINA SYSOYEVA, Associated Press Writer

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Among the hundreds of trams that crisscross Kiev's streets, only one offers passengers a journey inside a mobile museum of the world's worst nuclear accident.

The Chernobyl tram has rolled through the streets of the Ukrainian capital for five years. After being out of service for several months for repairs, it returned on the eve of Wednesday's 14th anniversary of the accident, taking the memory of the disaster back to the streets.

Inside hang 50 photographs of ``liquidators,'' the workers who were exposed to radiation while cleaning up after a reactor at the power plant exploded and caught fire.

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Songs for those who died from the accident play over the loudspeaker, and driver Valentyn Maltsev tells the tram's history between announcing stops.

The grim ride leaves passengers with a mix of emotions.

``It is a terrifying impression,'' said one, a hotel porter who gave her name only as Halya. ``It is the right thing to do, but those photos ...'' She broke off to wipe away swelling tears.

``We feel odd here,'' said Harkusha Yana, a schoolgirl who was born the year of the accident. Her friend Olena, 12, said that although she hadn't been born when the accident occurred, she was still saddened by the images in the tram.

``Chernobyl is our pain'' reads a sign on the side of the tram, and for many of the passengers, part of that pain comes with the memory of having been deceived after the accident.

Authorities tried to mask the accident for several days, and many people were exposed to radiation by ignorance. Ukraine was at that time part of the Soviet Union, where officials routinely tried to cover up problems.

``Nobody said anything,'' said passenger Avhust Skrypin, who was working near his country house in the open air just days after the accident, unaware that the fire had released a cloud of radiation over Ukraine.

He said he hoped the tram would ``make people's character more humane.''

Onboard boxes mounted with Orthodox Christian icons invite donations to a fund for Chernobyl victims. The driver gets a wage, but the vehicle's upkeep is contributed by volunteers.

But the tram is in desperate need of financial support so that it can be refurbished, Maltsev complained.

People pay as much as they can afford for the trip. But even though many pay more than the fare of about 9 cents, the tram collects only $8 to $12 a day.