Vadim Vladimirov: Last year, many Russian shippers were forced to redirect to Far Eastern ports. Thus, 15 million more tons of freight were shipped by rail than in 2021. That’s about 15 additional pairs of trains every day. The load on the Eastern Railway increased by 5 million tons. It took Russian Railways only a month to restructure its work to meet the new needs. We changed train traffic patterns, shortened intervals between trains, built heavy trains weighing 7100 tons, connected container trains with more than 100 conditional wagons (the length of such a train is about 1.5 kilometers. – Ed.). This was possible, among other things, thanks to new technologies, the modernization of facilities on the roads in 2020 and 2021.
In 2022, Ferrocarril del Este continued with the modernization of the stations and sections of the Trans-Siberian and BAM. What was done?
Vadim Vladimirov: “A wide range of benefits and various compensation are guaranteed to each young specialist.” Photo: Eastern Railway Press Service
Vadim Vladimirov: We have removed the last barrier places – sections where, for various reasons, the speed of trains is limited – along the main course of the Trans-Siberian Railway. We completed the reconstruction of the Pereemnaya and Onokhoi stations. There the reception and exit routes were expanded and the technical re-equipment of the network of contacts was carried out. A significant event was the completion of work at the Andrianovskaya station. It is located on a difficult mountain pass between the Bolshoi Lug and Slyudyanka-1 stations. To overcome this step, heavy trains require an additional push locomotive – it was placed on Bolshoy Luga, and they were uncoupled on Slyudyanka-2. At Andrianovskaya, we straighten part of the mountain section, we change the route of the tracks. This hastened the turnover and increased the capacity of this part of the highway.
By the way, significant technological improvements were introduced on this section in 2021-2022, which made it possible to reduce the intervals between trains from eight to ten minutes to six. The last barrier place was removed on the section Slyudyanka-1 – Slyudyanka-2. A third track was temporarily put into operation there.
Another important point in the Trans-Siberian modernization program is the increase in the production capacity of the Taishet station. How are things there now?
Vadim Vladimirov: The second and third stages of the reconstruction of this facility were completed last year. The existing reception and departure tracks of the transit fleet were lengthened, which makes it possible to form trains of greater length and mass. And three new ones were installed. At the same time, a second track was built on the Tagul-Taishet section, connecting the Eastern Railway with the Krasnoyarsk railway. The fourth and fifth final stages of the reconstruction of Taishet are scheduled to be completed in 2023. The implementation of the project will increase the production capacity of the station by almost one and a half times. Let me remind you that the Abakan Pass of the Krasnoyarsk Railway, BAM and Transsib converge at Taishet. This is a very important point. We also continue to build our power supply. Works on 30 traction substations were completed last year. In addition, 325 kilometers of continuous track were laid. Today, its total length on the Eastern Railway is about five thousand kilometers, which is more than 79 percent of the total length of the highway.
What are the plans of the East Siberian Railway for 2023? What direction of work will be the main one?
Vadim Vladimirov: Our main task for this year is the construction of second tracks on the BAM sections. First of all, around large nodes: Novaya Chara, Taksimo, Lena station. The second continuous tracks should appear from Lena station to Taksimo and then to Hani station. We have been doing this work for a long time: today more than 50 sections have two-way traffic. Another important goal is the complete electrification of the Baikal-Amur main line. Russian Railways plans for 2025-2030 are to completely phase out the diesel locomotive running on it. This will significantly increase load capacity and performance. Due to the transition to electric traction, the energy intensity of transport will also decrease. In total, this year we have to build 40 new facilities at BAM: 17 as part of the reconstruction of stations and the creation of double track inserts, and another 23 electrical facilities.
When will the construction of the second track of the Severomuysky tunnel begin?
Vadim Vladimirov: No decision has been made yet. Today we have an alternative solution that complies with all regulatory documents, even taking into account the passage of heavy trains. Significant investments were made in 2022 to improve its infrastructure. Until now, a traffic schedule has been drawn up, according to which heavy and uniform traffic (loaded trains traveling from the West to the Far Eastern ports. – Ed.) Will pass through the Severomuysky tunnel, and light and odd traffic : empty trains. returning from the Far East – and passenger trains will follow the detour.
But it should be remembered that in 2021 we put into operation a new double-track Baikal Tunnel. This is the most powerful and modern facility at BAM, equipped with the latest technology in terms of security systems, electronics, and video surveillance. Its opening and construction of the second track in the Delbichinda-Daban section made it possible to increase the circulation capacity of the line from 17 to 85 pairs of trains per day. And from 13.2 to 32.4 million tons of cargo per year.
Increasing the capacity of the Eastern Ridge of the Russian Railways, including numerous construction projects in the area of responsibility of the East Siberian Railway, requires personnel. How does the road attract and retain employees, especially young professionals?
Vadim Vladimirov: For every young specialist who starts his job at JSC Russian Railways, a wide range of benefits and various compensation is guaranteed. Separate preferences are provided when a specialist is sent to work related to moving to another area. One of the most important factors for the retention of personnel in the stations is the provision of housing, as well as the increase in the volume of specialized housing. Particular attention is paid to employees of enterprises located within the boundaries of the main Baikal-Amur line. So, in 2022, two apartment buildings were built and occupied on Novaya Chara. In total, the stock of specialized housing for employees of the All-Russian Railways now numbers more than 1,200 service apartments. In 2025, three more houses are planned to be commissioned: two in Taksimo and one in Taishet. I would like to point out that highway workers can use the corporate support program to purchase homes. In 2022, 53 railway employees, most of whom are young specialists, improved their living conditions thanks to the Russian Railways mortgage loan program. For these purposes, the company allocated more than 160 million rubles. In addition, 69 railway employees participating in the business support program received free material payments to pay their mortgages when children were born in their families. The total amount of these payments amounted to 13.7 million rubles.
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In 2022, Ferrocarril del Este carried out the reconstruction and modernization of 139 Trans-Siberian and BAM facilities. Forty-seven of them were delivered.
