Salekhard–Igarka Railway: Stalin’s Railroad of Death

On the outskirts of Salekhard , the working capital missive of the alphabet of the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Region , Russian Federation , on the border of the Arctic Circle , lies the disused remains of the infamous Salekhard–Igarka Railway , known variously every bit the ‘Railroad of Death’ , ‘Road of Death’ , in addition to ‘Dead Road’. This planned 1 ,300-kilometer railway was to live business office of Stalin’s Transpolar Mainline , a grand scheme to connect the eastern in addition to western parts of Siberia , stretching from the metropolis of Inta , inwards Komi Autonomous Republic , through Salekhard to Igarka , on the Yenisei River. The business was never completed , notwithstanding tens of thousands workers forced on the projection perished spell attempting to.

Most of the workers were derived from the Soviet gulag organization , where citizens convicted of political offences were sent to. H5N1 “political offense” could hateful anything from turning upward piece of cake for operate , to writing politically wrong poesy , to spending fourth dimension every bit German linguistic communication prisoners-of-war , or stealing beetroots to feed their children. The regime branded them “enemy of the people” in addition to sent them to gulag camps where they were subjected to untold miseries in addition to torture.

salekhard–igarka-railway-15 Norilsk , via the river system. But when the Ob estuary was constitute to live besides shallow for the deep H2O vessels , a novel port was built at Igarka on the river Yenisey , in addition to it was decided to connect Salekhard to Igarka past times a railroad , amongst the possibility of a farther extension to the South-East to link amongst the Trans Siberian Railway.

But aside from fulfilling Stalin’s ambitious plans to conquer the Arctic , in that place was no existent quest for the railroad. The Siberian factories were already satisfactorily serviced past times the existing southern rail lines , in addition to the Yamalo-Nenets portion itself was besides sparsely settled in addition to isolated to generate demand.

Nevertheless , structure of the railroad began inwards 1947. The Gulag camps provided Stalin a inexpensive in addition to expendable workforce that he could assign to whatsoever project. An estimated lxxx ,000 to 120 ,000 prisoners were enslaved inwards the edifice of the railroad , only about sources claim figures every bit high every bit 300 ,000.

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Photo credit: ComIntern/Wikimedia

Working weather condition were brutal. In wintertime , temperatures plummeted to -60°C in addition to blizzards chilled the torso to the core. In summertime , mosquitoes , gnats , in addition to parasites brought diseases in addition to death. Life was inexpensive in addition to beatings were common. Only the most resilient of workers survived.

The immense technical challenges of laying a business over permafrost were never effectively overcome. Lack of mechanism , piteous logistics in addition to shortage of materials ensured that the character of the operate was sub-standard. Bridges collapsed , melt in addition to pelting H2O washed out embankments , in addition to the bogs swallowed the railway tracks.

Construction came to an goal afterward the decease of Stalin inwards 1953. By thus a full of 698 km of railway were completed at an estimated toll of 42 billion 1953 rubles (or $10 billion inwards 1950 dollars).

It volition never live known how many people truly died because no accurate records were kept. Some country , one-third of the full reveal of workers perished.

In 2010 , a department of the railway from Igarka to Norilsk , a distance of close 220 km , was rebuilt next much of the master copy corridor , to back upward the nickel in addition to stone oil industry. The business , forthwith renamed the Northern Latitudinal Route , was opened inwards 2015.

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