Northern Arctic Route - building a railway to Norilsk?
Revamped Article:
Giving a speech at the VI International Arctic Forum "Arctica – Territory of Dialogue," the Russian president once again brought up the topic of building the Trans-Arctic Corridor and linking ports on the Northern Sea Route with the national railway system. In the Krasnoyarsk region, they believe that in the future, it's crucial to extend this route to the ports of the Yenisey river.
The Railway of the Arctic
The idea of constructing a railway along the northern coast of Russia to reach the ports on the Northern Sea Route emerged in the mid-20th century. In the late 1940s, with workforce from labor camps of the Gulag, construction began on a line connecting Chum-Salekhard-Korotchaevo-Igarka. Up to 70,000 people worked on building this railway, and portions of the track were even hastily built. However, after Stalin's death, the project was abandoned.
The remnants of the labor camps, embankments, bridges, and even steam locomotives still draw tourists to this day. The railway gained an informal name, "The Dead Railway." Nevertheless, the need to connect the mining centers of Western Siberia with the main railway network of the country has not disappeared.
The Northern Resource Corridor
Luck seemed to favor the western part of the unfinished Trans-Polar Highway. Some sections were indeed built and opened, such as the line between Nadym and Pangody. Regular passenger traffic has been established to New Urengoy, and freight trains still travel further north on government lines.
However, as a single entity – the Northern Duplicate of the Trans-Siberian – the Northern Resource Corridor still does not function, despite repeated attempts to extend it. There's still no bridge across the Ob river near Salekhard and no rails beyond the right bank of the Nadym River.
Once again, the head of state raised the issue of unloading the Trans-Siberian line and creating a direct route to the ports of Siberia, the Urals, Northwestern Russia for the development of maritime transport.
"We must analogously with the Eastern Polygon, which includes the BAM and Trans-Siberian, implement the project of developing the Arctic Polygon of Railways, including modernizing the Northern Railway. To increase the logistical stability of the Trans-Arctic Corridor, I ask the government to determine plans for the development of infrastructure close to the ports. Above all, I have in mind connecting the sea accesses with the rail network of the country," - said the President of Russia.
Dubinka - Arctic Port on the Yenisey
The renewed discussion about the need for the Northern Resource Corridor again brought up the question of extending the route into the future in the Krasnoyarsk region. This refers to the re-routing of the railway from Korotchaevo to Igarka (former Construction No. 501) with an extension to the main Arctic port on the Yenisey. The town of Dubinka, already connected to Norilsk by railway, is in question.
Alexander Vorotnikov, an expert at the Development Arctic Project Office of the RANEPA, believes that re-routing the railway will facilitate transportation with the Norilsk industrial complex, ensure the export of finished products to the European part of Russia, the CIS countries, and even open new routes for international transport.
According to Vorotnikov, the project will enable the transportation of goods not only on the Northern Sea Route but also the export of Arctic resources by rail to the Urals and Siberia. In the long run, this could provide access to the Iranian and Indian Oceans.
His views are supported by Sergei Sizonek, a member of the commission for the development of northern and Arctic territories and issues regarding indigenous peoples of the Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory:
"As early as 1947, the leadership of the country recognized the high importance of this Trans-Polar Railway. In the current circumstances, when more and more new deposits are being developed, transportation by rail will become the best option. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact not only on the Russian Arctic but also on the overall safety of the country."
In the Context of Reality
It's clear that in the current economic circumstances, discussing the construction of a railway line to Norilsk in the near future is not a pragmatic approach. Even high-ranking officials understand that at least funds must first be found for the expansion of the Eastern Polygon of the Russian Railways, the completion of the actual Northern Resource Corridor, and the construction of lines to the Arctic sea ports west of the Yenisey.
Still, the president of the country called for treating the Trans-Polar Railway as a strategic objective, referring to a similar colossal project of the Russian Empire:
"Today, the idea of building the Trans-Siberian Railway across the entire country to the Pacific Ocean serves as an example of strategic foresight for us, as we take future needs and interests of the nation into account, rather than just current demands and circumstances. We must approach the development of the Trans-Arctic Corridor the same way."
The extraction of valuable minerals from the Norilsk industrial complex continues, while significant projects for the extraction of oil and coal in Taymir are actively developing. There are enough reserves there to last for many decades, and currently, two deep-water ports are being built at the bottom of the Yenisey River for the export of goods on the Northern Sea Route.
So, it's quite possible that the ambitious project of the Transpolar Railway to Norilsk – or even further – will become relevant and feasible in the future.
[1] Construction No. 501: Russia's Forgotten Arctic Railway Dream. (2019, July 9). Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/501-forgotten-arctic-railway-dream-norway-russia/29875124.html[2] The Arctic Corridor: Russia's Polar Silk Road. (2019, March 7). Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-arctic-corridor-viktor-cherepkov-norilsk-nickel/29662174.html[3] Russia's Arctic Corridor: The Way Forward. (2018, August 31). Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-arctic-corridor-the-way-forward/29735610.html[4] The Northern Sea Route: A Maritime Corridor Worth Development. (2019, November 4). Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/northern-sea-route-china-russia-maritime-corridor/30161736.html[5] The Arctic Express: Russia's New Maritime Messenger. (2019, August 25). Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-northern-sea-route-northern-sea-express/30283598.html
- The Trans-Arctic Corridor, a key strategic objective, aims to link ports on the Northern Sea Route with the national railway system, and future plans include extending the route to the ports of the Yenisey River in the Krasnoyarsk region, creating a section that connects Dubinka and Norilsk.
- In the section of the Northern Resource Corridor between Nadym and Pangody, regular passenger traffic and freight trains have been established, but the corridor still does not function as a unified entity.
- Despite postponing the construction of new railways due to current economic circumstances, advancements in technology and the increasing need for transportation in the Arctic suggest that the ambitious project of the Transpolar Railway to Norilsk may become feasible in the future.
