Norilsk railway

The Norilsk Railways (Russian Норильская железная дорога ) is one of the northernmost railway in the world. It connects the port Dudinka the Yenisei to the big city of Norilsk and the formerly independent city Talnach and a number of mining operations.

History

Early as 1915 began preliminary planning to tap the ore deposits at Norilsk. By 1920, this project had gained in importance. 1935, the project was taken up again in the course of construction of the Arctic Circle Railway. In the arrangement of the Council of People's Commissars of 23 June 1935, to read: ". It's the final reconnaissance of the route for the narrow gauge railway Dudinka - Norilsk - Pjassino Lake (135 km) to perform and create a project plan" was built a narrow gauge railway in a gauge of 1000 mm. In 1936, operations started on small station Waljok.

As the operation grew strongly, it was decided to rebuild the track in Russian broad gauge. After the first material was delivered in 1941, began the work in 1950 and the re-gauging was completed in 1953. A temporary connection provided to the rest of the Russian railway network (via the Arctic Circle Railway ) never materialized. In 1957, the lines were electrified.

The company Norilsk Nickel that the railway now runs, presented in 1998 a passenger and was in the same year the electrical operation again. The last train people existed between Norilsk and the airport Alykel and from the airport to Dudinka.