Salekhard–Igarka Railway
Incomplete railway line in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1,524 mm (5 ft) broad gauge Salekhard–Igarka Railway, (Трансполярная магистраль Transpolyarnaya Magistral, i.e. 'Transpolar Mainline') is an incomplete railway in northern Siberia. The railway was a project of the Soviet Gulag system that took place from 1947 until Stalin's death in 1953. Construction was coordinated via two separate Gulag projects, the 501 Railway beginning on the River Ob and 503 Railway beginning on the River Yenisey, part of a grand design of Joseph Stalin to span a railway across northern Siberia to reach the Soviet Union's easternmost territories.[1][2]
Salekhard–Igarka Railway | |
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Overview | |
Status | in operation, projected, abandoned |
Locale | Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia |
History | |
Opened | 1949 |
Closed | 1953 |
Technical | |
Line length | 1,459 km (907 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,524 mm (5 ft) |
A rebuilt section of the railway between Nadym and Novy Urengoy on the east bank of the Nadym River is still in operation, as is the extreme western section connecting Labytnangi and the railway to Vorkuta. The section from Salekhard to Nadym is planned to be rebuilt,[3] including a new bridge over the Ob to connect Salekhard to the rest of the Russian railway system via Labytnangi.[4] The section from Nadym to Pangody is also planned to be rebuilt.[5]