Belkomur
BELKOMUR Project History.
In the 20th century Russian rail ways development was based on a
latitudinal approach (West-East connection). Because of that now there is a lack of
meridional rail ways that has lead to a shortage of convenient communications between raw
and industrial regions of the country and existence of dead-end industrial centers. A
shortage of communications has been in the North for a long time. Rail way construction in
a planned Belkomur location began together with establishing Northern Coal and Metallurgy
Industry in the middle of the 1930s. In 1944 rail way Kotlas-Vorkuta connected Pechora
Coal Basin and Cherepovets metallurgical works. Rail road construction continued in Polar
Russia further but due to a mass amnesty of the main work force GULAG prisoners it was
stopped in 1953-1954.
The project came to life again in the 1990s. Belkomur had to integrate economically the
Northern regions - Perm and Kirov regions, the Republic of Komi and Komi-Perm Autonomous
District.
In 1995 a large scale meridional project was proposed - a rail way connecting
Arkhangelsk, Syktyvkar, Kudymkar and Perm with the name Belkomur (White Sea-Komi-Urals).
The General Rail Ways Scheme Development for Russian European North
(1994) was the basis of the project, it contained necessary technical and economical
grounds. The General Scheme was considered and supported by Komi Government, Arkhangelsk
and Perm regional administrations, Komi-Perm Autonomous District.
To implement the project in September 1996 in Syktyvkar a company project operator was
established called Interregional JSC Belkomur. Its main share holders were the Russian
Federation and its subjects as the Republic of Komi, Arkhangelsk region, Komi-Perm
Autonomous region, Perm region and a number of large enterprises of those regions.
Institutes Lengiprotrans and Uralgiprotrans with participation of
Giprotrans TEI began to develop the project.
In the beginning of 1998 JSC Belkomur began to construct a Northern link of the new
rail way from opposite directions simultaneously: from Arkhangelsk region, from Karpogory
to Sharda 22.2 km by Sevtransstroy as a contractor and from the Republic of Komi
Ertom-Vendinga 17.85 km by JSC Pechorskoye Stroitelstvo as a contractor. JSC Komistroymost
built 290 m long bridge over the Vashka river.
For the Southern link Syktyvkar-Perm a feasibility study was made and positive
expertise was received.
|
