In 2003, on behest of the Ministry of Transportation, a bronze statue of Pavel Melnikov (1804-80) was erected on the square, to commemorate the Russian minister of transportation who superintended the construction of the first railways in Russia.
In 2003, on behest of the Ministry of Transportation, the square was given its present name, which had been used informally for decades. The same year, they unveiled a bronze statue of Pavel Melnikov (1804-80), the first Russian minister of transportation who superintended the construction of the first railways in Russia.