Murmansk joins Belkomur project
Governor Yuri Yevdokimov during this weeks Sankt Petersburg Economic Forum signed an agreement with the Komi Republic, which makes Murmansk Oblast a part of the Belkomur railway project.
It remains unclear however what will be the role of Murmansk in the project. The Belkomur line, which is lobbied by Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic and Perm Kray, will cut transport distances from Western Siberia and the Urals and the Barents Sea coast with up to 800 km.
The press service of the Perm regional administration reports that Murmansk Oblast reportedly “long has wanted to join the project”, Regnum reports
Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic and Perm Kray have lobbied the Belkomur railway project for a number of years without significant results. Now, however the project is seeing a revival with signs of support both from the federal government and from the Russian Railways.
The “Belkomur” project (an abbriviation of The White See – Komi - Ural) was initiated already in the 1930s, but was halted in 1953 with the death of Josef Stalin. In 1996, the project was revived by the regional administrations of Arkhangelsk, Komi and Perm. Then, in 2002, the project again came to a halt as financing dried out.
Meanwhile, about 800 km on railway remains to be laid. The project price tag is estimated to about 400 billion RUB.
Read also:
Russian Railways supports construction of “Belkomur” 22 May 2008
Port and railway high on Arkhangelsk agenda 18 April 2008
Finnish interest in Belkomur 4 April 2008
The rebirth of Belkomur 19 November 2007
