The
Amur-Yakutsk Mainline (
RussianRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Амуро-Якутская магистраль,
Amuro-Yakutskaya Magistral’) is a partially complete railway in eastern
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, linking the
Trans-Siberian RailwayThe Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
and Baikal-Amur Mainline with the
Sakha Republic.
Passenger services on the line currently extend from
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
to the town of
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
, roughly 450km south of the planned terminus at
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. The section from Tommot to Yakutsk is under construction and is expected to be completed in around 2013. , tracks had been laid a further 165km to Kharbykan, with goods services travelling as far as
AmgaAmga is a rural locality and the administrative center of Amginsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is situated on the Amga River, some south-east of Yakutsk...
.
By the end of 2009, construction work had reached the
Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
, around 70km south of Yakutsk.
The
Amur-Yakutsk Mainline (
RussianRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Амуро-Якутская магистраль,
Amuro-Yakutskaya Magistral’) is a partially complete railway in eastern
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, linking the
Trans-Siberian RailwayThe Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
and Baikal-Amur Mainline with the
Sakha Republic.
Passenger services on the line currently extend from
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
to the town of
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
, roughly 450km south of the planned terminus at
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. The section from Tommot to Yakutsk is under construction and is expected to be completed in around 2013. {{As of|2007}}, tracks had been laid a further 165km to Kharbykan, with goods services travelling as far as
AmgaAmga is a rural locality and the administrative center of Amginsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is situated on the Amga River, some south-east of Yakutsk...
.
By the end of 2009, construction work had reached the
Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
, around 70km south of Yakutsk.
{{BS-header|Amur Yakutsk Mainline}}
{{BS-table}}
{{BS2>
|km|Station|tw=220px}}
The Amur-Yakutsk Mainline (RussianRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Амуро-Якутская магистраль, Amuro-Yakutskaya Magistral’) is a partially complete railway in eastern RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, linking the Trans-Siberian RailwayThe Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
and Baikal-Amur Mainline with the Sakha Republic.
Passenger services on the line currently extend from TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
to the town of TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
, roughly 450km south of the planned terminus at YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. The section from Tommot to Yakutsk is under construction and is expected to be completed in around 2013. {{As of|2007}}, tracks had been laid a further 165km to Kharbykan, with goods services travelling as far as AmgaAmga is a rural locality and the administrative center of Amginsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is situated on the Amga River, some south-east of Yakutsk...
.
By the end of 2009, construction work had reached the Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
, around 70km south of Yakutsk.
{{BS-header|Amur Yakutsk Mainline}}
{{BS-table}}
{{BS2>
| |km|Station|tw=220px}}
{{BS2|ABZq+lr |
}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|HST||19|Shturm}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Maly Oldoy}}
{{BS2|HST||49|Murtygit|}}
{{BS2|HST||66|Purikan|}}
{{BS2|HST||82|Anosovskaya|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Maly Oldoy}}
{{BS2|HST||94|Silip|}}
{{BS2|HST||112|Sabolotnoye|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Tynda}}
{{BS2|HST||133|Belenkaya|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Tynda}}
{{BS2|HST||160|Seti|}}
|}
{{BS2|ABZld||||BAM to Severobaikalsk}}
{{BS2|BHF||179|
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Tynda}}
{{BS2|HST||190|Shakhtaum (Vostochny)}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||
GilyuyGilyuy is a river in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Zeya River, and is 545 km long, with a drainage basin of 22,500 km². The river has its sources on the southern slopes of the Stanovoy Mountains, passes near Tynda and flows southeast into the Zeya Reservoir.Its main...
}}
{{BS2|BHF||205|Bestuzhevo|}}
|}
{{BS2|ABZrd|||BAM to Komsomolsk-na-Amure|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||
GilyuyGilyuy is a river in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Zeya River, and is 545 km long, with a drainage basin of 22,500 km². The river has its sources on the southern slopes of the Stanovoy Mountains, passes near Tynda and flows southeast into the Zeya Reservoir.Its main...
}}
{{BS2|HST||225|Gilyuy|}}
{{BS2|HST||250|Mogot|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Mogot}}
|}
{{BS2|eGRENZE||285|
Amur OblastAmur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...
/
Sakha (Yakutia)|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|HST||285|Yakutski|}}
{{BS2|HST||298|Nagornaya-Yakutskaya (Nagorny)|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Timpton}}
{{BS2|HST||319|Ayam|}}
{{BS2|TUNNEL1||319||Nagorny-Tunnel (ca. 1300 m)}}
{{BS2|HST||340|Zolotinka|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Iengra}}
{{BS2|HST||357|Okurdan|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Gorbyllakh}}
{{BS2|HST||382|Oborcho|}}
{{BS2|HST||399|
BerkakitBerkakit is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located south of Yakutsk, on both the Amur Yakutsk Mainline and Amur Yakutsk highway. Population:...
|}}
|}
{{BS2|ABZld|STRlg|||}}
{{BS2|STR|BHF|408|
NeryungriNeryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
-Passazhirskaya|}}
{{BS2|STR|WBRÜCKE|||Chulman}}
{{BS2|STR|KDSTe|416|
NeryungriNeryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
-Grusovaya|}}
{{BS2|HST||419|Denisovsky (
Serebryany BorSerebryany Bor is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located north of Neryungri on the Amur Yakutsk Mainline. Population: There is a hydropower plant in the settlement....
)}}
{{BS2|BHF||430|
ChulmanChulman is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Chulman River, about north of Neryungri...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Chulman|}}
{{BS2|HST||444|Chulbas|}}
{{BS2|HST||455|Tenisty|}}
{{BS2|HST||485|Khatymi (Bolshoy Khatymi)|}}
{{BS2|HST||504|Ogonyer|}}
{{BS2|HST||548|Taezhnaya|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Bolshoy Nimnyr|}}
{{BS2|HST||608|Bolshoy Nimnyr|}}
{{BS2|HST||653|Seligdar|}}
{{BS2|HST||669|Kosarevsky (Lebediny)|}}
|}
{{BS2|BHF||686|
AldanAldan is a gold-mining town and the administrative center of Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: -Geography:Aldan is situated in the Aldan highlands, about south of the republic's capital of Yakutsk in the Aldan River basin, on the stream Orto-Sala near its mouth in the...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|HST||716|Kuranakh (
Nizhny KuranakhNizhny Kuranakh is an urban locality in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: -History:It was first settled in the 1920s, when gold was discovered and mining activities began. It was granted urban-type settlement status in 1950...
)|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||Yakokit|}}
|}
{{BS2|BHF||767|
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||
AldanThe Aldan River is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 km long, of which around 1,600 km is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk...
|}}
{{BS2|HST|||Bolotny|}}
{{BS2|WBRÜCKE||||
AmgaAmga River is a river in Sakha , Russia. It is the biggest tributary of the Aldan River, which it joins a few miles west of Khandyga. The length of the river is . The area of its basin is 69,300 km². The Amga River freezes up in the first half of October and stays under the ice until May....
|}}
|}
{{BS2|DST||869|
Amga (Verchnyaya Amga)Amga is a rural locality and the administrative center of Amginsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is situated on the Amga River, some south-east of Yakutsk...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|STR|||}}
{{BS2|HST||932|Kharbykan|}}
{{BS2|HST||962|Ulu|}}
{{BS2|DST||982|Kyurgelyakh|}}
{{BS2|HST||1061|Khaniyerdakh|}}
{{BS2|HST|||Munduruchu|}}
{{BS2|DST||1085|Olen (Sakha)|}}
{{BS2|HST|||Lyutenka|}}
|}
{{BS2|DST||1136|Kyordyom|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|exSTR|||}}
{{BS2|exHST||1153|Menda|}}
{{BS2|exHST||1176|Rassoloda|}}
|}
{{BS2|exDST||1136|Pravaya Lena (
Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
- Right Bank)|}}
{{BS2|exABZld|exSTRlg|||}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exWBRÜCKE|||
LenaThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|exSTR|exSTR||}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exHST|1209|Tabaga|}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exHST|1228|Kyurdyugelakh|}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exHST|1249|Chabyda|}}
|}
{{BS2|exSTR|exDST|1275|
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
-Grusovaya (Cargo)|}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exBHF|1284|
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
-Passazhirskaya (Passengers)|}}
{{BS2|exSTR|exKDSTe|1288|Rechnoy Port (River Port)|}}
{{BS2|exHST||1195|Khaptagay|}}
{{BS2|exBHF||1213|
Nizhny BestyakhNizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
|}}
{{BS2-startCollapsible|exLUECKE|||}}
{{BS2|exHST|||
ChurapchaChurapcha is a village and the administrative center of Churapchinsky Ulus in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: 7,526 ; 6,232 ....
|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||Megino-Aldan|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||Kyubyume|}}
{{BS2|exGRENZE|||
Sakha Republic/
Magadan OblastMagadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||
SusumanSusuman is a town in Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Berelyokh River some 650 km northwest of Magadan. It is the administrative center of Susumansky District, as well as the only town in the entire oblast excepting the capital Magadan...
|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||
OrotukanOrotukan is an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russian Federation. Population 2,167 .-Geography:The settlement is located in the Kolyma region around 300 km north of Magadan, on the right bank of the Orotukan River, a tributary of the Kolyma.-History:The history of the town began in...
|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||Atka|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||Palatka|}}
{{BS2|exHST|||
SokolSokol is an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russia, located 49 km north of Magadan. It is the site of the Magadan Airport. Population 5,199 .-History:...
|}}
{{BS2|exKBHFe|||
MagadanMagadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
|}}
|}
|}
|}
Route
The line currently has an official length of 767km, branching from the
Trans-Siberian railwayThe Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
at Bamovskaya in the western
Amur OblastAmur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...
. The line continues north, joining the
Baikal Amur Mainline near
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
and continuing along the BAM for 27 kilometers before branching northwards at Bestuzhevo. The line in this section crosses the
Gilyuy RiverGilyuy is a river in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Zeya River, and is 545 km long, with a drainage basin of 22,500 km². The river has its sources on the southern slopes of the Stanovoy Mountains, passes near Tynda and flows southeast into the Zeya Reservoir.Its main...
twice. Shortly after entering the
Sakha Republic, the line passes through the 1,300 meter-long Nagorny tunnel under the Stanovoy Range.
In the Aldan Highlands, the line crosses numerous further rivers, including the Iyengra and
ChulmanChulman is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Chulman River, about north of Neryungri...
. The coal-mining area around
BerkakitBerkakit is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located south of Yakutsk, on both the Amur Yakutsk Mainline and Amur Yakutsk highway. Population:...
and
NeryungriNeryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
are around kilometer 400, the city of
AldanAldan is a gold-mining town and the administrative center of Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: -Geography:Aldan is situated in the Aldan highlands, about south of the republic's capital of Yakutsk in the Aldan River basin, on the stream Orto-Sala near its mouth in the...
at kilometer 686, and the current official terminus of
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
at kilometer 767.
The railway station at Tommot is on the west bank of the
Aldan RiverThe Aldan River is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 km long, of which around 1,600 km is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk...
, which is crossed here by the longest bridge on the line. Provisional goods services began to
AmgaAmga is a rural locality and the administrative center of Amginsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is situated on the Amga River, some south-east of Yakutsk...
in 2006, with construction trains travelling as far as Kharbykan.
Construction reached the settlement of Kyodyom, on the
Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
opposite the town of
PokrovskPokrovsk is a town in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the left bank of the Lena River, southwest of Yakutsk. Population: -Geography:...
, by 2008. From here, it was planned to start construction of a 3km-long combined road and rail bridge across the Lena in 2009, in the area of the settlement Tabaga. The line was to continue to the city of
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, with a passenger terminal to be built, and an extension to the river port.
With the expected difficulties in building a bridge across the more than 2 km-wide Lena, prone to massive flooding in spring and with moving ice during autumn, there has been much discussion of the rail head remaining on the east bank of the river, terminating in
Nizhny BestyakhNizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
, across the river from Yakutsk. This section will be built, with a terminus in Nizhny Bestyakh, the connection to Yakutsk city being postponed. The route via Nizhny Bestyakh will then form the beginning of any further extensions towards
MagadanMagadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
.
The line is single-track (excepting the section from
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
to Bestuzhevo shared with the BAM) and not electrified.
Construction and operation of the railway is complicated as in most of Siberia by the large temperature variations, ranging from under -50ºC in winter to over +30ºC in summer, as well as the challenges of building on
permafrostIn geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
in difficult terrain.
History
Construction of the AYaM began in the 1930s, with the construction of the spur line from Bamovskaya to
TyndaTynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...
(then known as Tyndinsky) as part of the planned construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. This section began operation in 1935, but was then dismantled in 1940-41 as the Second World War saw the BAM project cancelled and the rails were reused for other projects closer to the front.
Reconstruction of the Bamovskaya-Tynda section began on 5 April 1972, almost two years before the soviet government announced the revival of the BAM project in 1974. The start of provisional services on the “Little BAM” began in November 1976, with full services in October 1977. At the same time the line was extended northwards, the section Tynda-Berkakit opening in October 1979, later extending as far as
NeryungriNeryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
.
From 1989, construction recommenced from
NeryungriNeryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
towards
ChulmanChulman is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Chulman River, about north of Neryungri...
. This extension branches a few kilometers before the previous terminus of Neryungri-Grusovaya (cargo terminal). Traffic was gradually extended to
ChulmanChulman is an urban locality in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Chulman River, about north of Neryungri...
,
AldanAldan is a gold-mining town and the administrative center of Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: -Geography:Aldan is situated in the Aldan highlands, about south of the republic's capital of Yakutsk in the Aldan River basin, on the stream Orto-Sala near its mouth in the...
and finally to
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
, firstly construction and cargo traffic, followed by passenger services. The complete section to Tommot was declared open on 24 August 2004. Since this date a daily passenger service has run between Neryungri and Tommot, covering the 368 Kilometer section in around 8 hours.
The bridge crossing the
Aldan RiverThe Aldan River is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 km long, of which around 1,600 km is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk...
in
TommotTommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
, at 400 meters wide at this point the largest river on the planned route besides the
LenaThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
, was completed in the 1990s, although not initially used. A further section of around 60 kilometers was under construction when financial problems halted the project.
Construction resumed in 2005, with construction traffic able to operate through to Kharbykan by the start of 2007. Cargo traffic currently operates as far as Amga. In early 2009 the construction reached the dual settlements of
PokrovskPokrovsk is a town in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the left bank of the Lena River, southwest of Yakutsk. Population: -Geography:...
/Kyordyom, on the left and right banks of Lena respectively, some 78 km south of
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
.
The first train was welcomed into Kyordyom on Sept. 25, 2010; now earthworks will be completed to
Nizhny BestyakhNizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
where a station will be built.
Future planning
Planning for the line almost as far as
YakutskWith a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
is complete, although there has been debate as to whether the line should end at the settlement of
Nizhny BestyakhNizhny Bestyakh is an urban locality in Megino-Kangalassky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the east bank of the Lena River, opposite the republic's capital city of Yakutsk...
, on the opposite bank of the
Lena RiverThe Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
from Yakutsk, or whether a bridge should be built.
A combined road and rail bridge is under consideration, across a narrower section of the river near Tabaga, 40km upstream from the Yakutsk.
On July 14th, 2010 in Moscow a meeting was held to discuss construction of a tunnel under the Lena river, instead of a bridge. Advantages of a tunnel would be less cost and faster completion as it would not be dependent on seasonal construction hampered by spring breakup and autumn freeze up of the river. The flooding situation of the river also makes the tunnel more attractive. Disadvantages would be the higher operating cost of a tunnel as being more than double the annual maintenance of a bridge. The difficulty of a tunnel, as compared to a bridge, is it would require construction in
permafrostIn geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
.
There is currently no bridge of any kind across the Lena in the Sakha Republic. Yakutsk is only connected to the outside world via ferry in summer, or by driving across the frozen river in winter, plus using the airport. During spring and autumn, the moving ice on the river makes crossings impossible.
The decision for or against a bridge depends on a number of questions regarding both costs and engineering challenges. The Lena is at this point more than 2 kilometers wide, has a number of side streams, and can flood the valley to a width of up to 10 kilometers during the snowmelt in spring.
Future plans have been proposed for the extension of the rail line further to the east, towards the Kolyma region,
MagadanMagadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
and even
ChukotkaChukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
and a Bering Strait crossing which would link Russia with the United States. The Russian government has in 2011 approved the construction of the 65 billion US$ Siberia-Alaska rail and a tunnel across the Bering Strait.