MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. The eastern direction of Russian railways is now in great demand, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on the development of the Eastern polygon of railways.
"The eastern direction of the railways is in great demand. Transportation volumes have increased significantly in recent years and continue to increase. This means that the load on the highways is guaranteed for years to come," Putin said.
The President recalled that since 2013, the country has been consistently expanding the carrying capacity of the Eastern polygon of railways, which combines the facilities of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). According to him, during the first stage of this work, over 5,000 kilometers of tracks were laid and upgraded, bridges, tunnels, traction substations and locomotive facilities were built and reconstructed.
"As a result, in 2021, the carrying capacity of the BAM and Trans-Siberian Railways increased to 144 million tons per year, but let me remind you that the target indicators were higher, namely 157-168 million tons per year," Putin said.
The second stage of the project began in 2021 and will be completed by the end of 2024, when the cargo flow of the highways is expected to increase to 180 million tons per year, the President said.
"Taking into account these prospects, we need to clearly define the parameters of the third stage of development of the BAM and Trans-Siberian Railway, in what time frame, in what directions and in what exact volume their carrying capacity will increase," the President said.
In this regard, he drew the attention of the government and representatives of the Russian Railways company to the fact that, while working to expand the carrying capacity of the Eastern polygon, "it is important to ensure that the plans of the railway and cargo senders, owners of seaports, builders of related infrastructure, including energy capacities and networks are aligned, as well as the development of border crossings."
Putin also recalled that the importance of developing the Eastern polygon was discussed at the 4th Congress of Railway Workers held on December 15. According to him, this "once again underscores the enormous importance of the work that is going on within the framework of this large-scale, complex project."
The Eastern polygon unites the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal Amur Main Line. Now these highways are operating at capacity limits. By the order of the Russian President, the Eastern polygon is being updated. By 2024, it is planned to increase the throughput of highways in the direction of sea ports and border crossings of the Far East to 180 million tons per year.