History of BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline)

Proposals to build a railway along the northern bank of Lake Baikal date as far back as the 1880s. When N.A.Voloshyn, a famous engineer, surveyed the area between the Angara River and the North Muysk mountains only to recognize that construction of a line was completely impracticable.

A long time elapsed before modern technology made the railway project possible. The BAM story begins with two lines: Tayshet – Ust-Kut in the West and Komsomolsk-on-Amur – Soviet Haven in the East. At that time these two unrelated lines looked like separate branches of the Trans-Siberian Railway rather than an independent mainline. Soon after the route was established, the rate of construction slowed down and the funding almost reached zero.

In 1974 interest in this railway was revived when the USSR Council of Ministers adopted a resolution “On Construction of Baikal-Amur Mainline”. Its completion was planned to take 10 years.

This decision triggered vigorous construction activities along the entire stretch of the railway. They included renovation of the BAM – Tynda stretch and construction of a major mainline to connect the Lena river and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. In 1974, a July issue of the “Pravda”, a national newspaper, published the first editorial about BAM. And amid soviet propaganda of a “grand construction” work began.

In actual fact it was the achievements of the builders which were really “grand”. Undoubtedly these people worked in extreme conditions. Consider that BAM crosses 11 major rivers and 7 mountain ranges, it covers over 1,000 km in areas of permafrost and high seismic activity. When the line was being laid in these areas, people had to opt for unusual if not unique technical solutions. At times these measures bypassed safety procedures normally accepted in railway construction. Sadly these initiatives led to tragedy and as many as 57 people were killed on site. In 1976 a Soviet Style medal was instituted “For Construction of Baikal-Amur Mainline”. This was seen as an honorable decoration by the entire population of the USSR.

September 1984 marked the “Golden” joining. After moving towards each other for 10 years, the builders met at the crossing point in Balbukhta, Chita region. Now BAM was one unbroken mainline railroad. In October 1984 through train operation became possible. In 2001 the 15-km North-Muysk Tunnel was completed to become the longest rail tunnel in Russia. This also marked 100% completion of the project. Along with the Trans-Siberian Railway, Baikal-Amur Mainline became another important connection between the Siberian part of Russia and the Pacific coast. Its overall length is 3,400 km.

At its stations, numerous monuments bear witness to the eventful history of BAM and to the major stages of its construction. Take for example the station in Vikhorevka. This is the home of several American steam engines dating back to the times of the Great Patriotic War. The Station in Severobaikalsk is where the last passenger steam engine produced in the USSR can be seen. “The Monument of Honor to BAM Builders” at the station in Kuanda is also very important – it was erected to honor the builders and commemorate the joining of the main line’s two stretches in 1984.