July deadline set for opening of extension to Trans-Siberian Railway

Passengers board the Trans-Siberian Railway, Irkutsk. Image by tak.wing / CC BY-SA 2.0

A new railway line to Yakutsk in Russia’s Far East, which will provide an extension to the Trans-Siberian Railway, should be ready for passengers by July, according to the deadline set by Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. A part of the route has been in operation for passengers for a decade and the entire track was originally planned for completion in 2012, but there was a series of delays and only 90% of the line is ready. The line will connect not only the Trans-Siberian Railway but also the Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM) to Yakutsk, Russia’s diamond capital. It is 1239km long and called the Amur-Yakutian Mainline (AYAM). It joins the Trans-Siberian Railway at Bamovskaya station and the BAM at Tynda station. Read more: siberiantimes.com