BAM Update: Russia resumed a grand Soviet construction

Russia is seriously engaged in large-scale modernization and expansion of one of the longest railways in the world - the Baikal-Amur Railway. The construction of the transport route began in the late 30s of the last century, however, the project was implemented with long time pauses. The main stage of the construction of BAM took place in the 80s.

Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, the highway was virtually abandoned, but thanks to public-private initiatives it was maintained in technically sound condition. In the 90s notorious economic Reformers subjected the Baikal-Amur Railway to harsh criticism, calling it a useless Soviet project.



But after 10-12 years, it became clear that BAM is not only useful to Russia, but also requires extensive reconstruction in order to increase throughput. In the early 2010s, a fundamental decision was made to modernize the Baikal-Amur Mainline, because otherwise, the underdevelopment of railway communications in Siberia and the Far East would be a serious obstacle to the economic growth of the whole country.

Today in Russia, systematic work is underway to expand the Baikal-Amur Railway. New tunnels open, duplicating bridges are built across water barriers, and new large railway junctions are being formed.