KRASNOYARSK, October 29. /TASS/. Nornickel’s Polar Division will invest before 2023 in upgrade of the locomotive park at the Norilsk Railroad (a technological railway line), one of the world’s northernmost railroads, more than 6.5 billion rubles ($83 million), the Polar Division’s press service said.
The Norilsk Railroad is isolated from other rail networks. It serves transportation of cargoes between the Dudinka port and the Norilsk Industrial District. The line’s construction began in 1935, and before 1998 it served passenger traffic. The line is 365 kilometers long.
"In the upgrade of the locomotive park the company will invest more than 6.5 billion rubles," the press service said. The funds will be used to buy eight new mainline and 19 shunting locomotives. The railway’s current park is 54 locomotives. Besides, the money will be spent to service 23 locomotives and to upgrade two diesel locomotives.
The company forecasts growing amounts of transported cargo. In 2019, the railroad served 18.4 million tonnes, and by 2030 it may be serving about 21.9 million tonnes.
Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world’s largest producer of refined nickel and palladium and a leading producer of platinum, cobalt, copper and rhodium. The company also produces gold, silver, iridium, selenium, ruthenium and tellurium. The company’s units are located at the Norilsk Industrial District, on the Kola Peninsula and in Chita region in Russia as well as in Finland and South Africa.