Amur-Yakutsk Railway: Permafrost and American Diesel Locomotives

In the 70s, the Soviet Union began construction on one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects. Thousands of builders, engineers, and Komsomol members went to the Siberian taiga to continue building the BAM, a railway that would increase the transit potential of the Far East and complement the existing Trans-Siberian Railway infrastructure.


But today we will talk about the Amur-Yakutsk highway. It became a supporting branch for the construction of the BAM, and then was extended to the Nizhny Bestyakh station near Yakutsk. With the beginning of the construction of the crossing over the Lena, which we wrote previously, the importance of the Amur-Yakutsk road could increase significantly.

Through the taiga to Yakutsk

The first section of the AYAM (that's what this railway is called) was laid by 1979. The highway connected the city of Skovorodino in the Amur Region, the villages of Tynda and Neryungi. Tynda became a kind of "crossroads" of railways. People, equipment and materials were brought to the BAM under construction via the AYAM.

However, under the Soviet Union, the Amur-Yakutsk highway was not further developed. Although its construction was still planned. The highway was supposed to stretch for 900 km and connect the southern and northern regions of Siberia.


In the last years of the life of a large country, all efforts were thrown into completing the BAM. Incidentally, the BAM was never completed before the collapse of the Union. Although the railway communication was launched, there were still unfinished objects on paper - bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure.

It was only in the early 2000s that talk began about extending the Amur-Yakutsk highway. In 2004, the builders completed the Neryungi-Tommot section, and in 2011, the first train and went along the northern section of the AYAM. The railway "ended" in Nizhny Bestyakh - in a settlement on the right bank of the Lena. It was supposed to establish a main line to Yakutsk, but for this it was necessary to build a long-term crossing over the Lena River.

Difficulties in construction and operation

The line passed through the rugged taiga terrain. Construction of infrastructure in northern conditions is associated with high costs due to the climate, as well as permafrost - unstable and shifting soil.

The abundance of rivers, lakes and swamps forces engineers and builders to "bypass" difficult areas and build bridges. Difficulties also arise when overcoming mountain passes. For example, the Aldan Highlands begin north of the village of Neryungi. Engineers had to significantly "bend" the railway to bypass the mountain passes.

Let's not forget about temperature fluctuations. In Yakutia, fluctuations from +30°C to -50°C are observed. Such conditions also require special engineering solutions.

AYAM in our days

This railway can be called the first major logistics project in the entire post-Soviet space. Today, its length is 1239 km. Almost along its entire length, it is a single-track non-electrified railway. There are extensions in the areas of large stations.

The enterprise "Railways of Yakutia", created in 1995 for the construction of the highway and for subsequent operation, is in charge of management. The company belongs to JSC "Russian Railways" and the Government of Yakutia in approximately equal shares.


The company's staff of 1 people maintains the smooth operation of the railway. The Amur-Yakutsk highway provides part of the "northern delivery", as well as regular passenger service.

American locomotives

The rolling stock used on the main line is also of interest. The main "workhorses" are diesel locomotives of different series. But some locomotives of the Yakutsk Railway have their own peculiarities.

Back in 2007, a conference dedicated to the problem of modernizing diesel locomotives was held in Yakutsk. Specialists from the USA also came to the event. As a result of the conference, a decision was made to use General Electric technologies.


So in 2009, the famous Soviet diesel locomotive 2TE10V-0884 received an American diesel engine 7FDL. The engineers also replaced the brake compressor and generator. An on-board computer was placed in the driver's cabin. Modernization at different stages took place in Poltava and Kirov. Today, this unique diesel locomotive is in operation on the Yakutsk-Amur Mainline.

The iconic TEM2 shunting diesel locomotives were also modernized for the needs of the Yakutsk Railway. The new locomotives were designated TEM2MK. The diesel locomotives were equipped with GE 7FDL8 diesel engines with a capacity of 2000 hp.

Today, these machines can be found on the Amur-Yakutsk Mainline, as well as on the Norilsk Railway. In total, 22 TEM2 series diesel locomotives were modernized before the sanctions and the deterioration of relations between our countries.

In addition, two purely American EMD SD42ACe diesel locomotives operate in Yakutia. They were produced in Chicago specifically for the needs of the Amur-Yakutsk Mainline. In 2021, two vehicles were shipped to the port of Vladivostok, and sea trials began. The diesel locomotives received the designations 2TE3250-0001 and 0002.


The government of Yakutia even planned to establish joint production of such locomotives in the region. But, apparently, these plans are not destined to come true. Interestingly, the two EMD diesel locomotives are the first American locomotives that appeared on our railways after World War II.

Message and Prospects

Today, both freight and passenger traffic operates on the AYAM. There are regular services from Nizhny Bestyakh to the village of Neryungi. From the latter, trains run to Khabarovsk, Taishet (Irkutsk Region) and the city of Skovorodino. There are also direct carriages to Moscow, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok and Kislovodsk. They are reconnected to trains traveling along the BAM or the Trans-Siberian Railway.

AYAM also has great development prospects. In addition to the already mentioned Lena Bridge and the extension of the railway to Yakutsk, other directions are being worked out.

A branch to the Nizhny Bestyakh river cargo terminal was opened in the spring of 2024. The port itself is still under construction, and its launch is scheduled for 2030.

The most ambitious project is the Nizhny Bestyakh-Magadan highway. It was supposed that the railway would be opened by 2030, but work has not yet begun. In addition, projects are being developed to build branches to various mining enterprises.


The plans include the modernization and development of the Ulak-Elga railway. It was opened in 2012 to connect with the significant Elginsky coking coal deposit. It is assumed that the road can be extended to Okhotsk. In 2022, construction of a new highway to the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk began. In the future, a new seaport may appear near Cape Manorsky.

Yakutia's railways are actively developing. The reorientation of Russia's foreign trade relations opens up great opportunities for enterprises in Siberia and the Far East. Judging by the fact that the government and large companies are paying great attention to modernizing the main infrastructure and opening new routes, very soon many even the most remote cities and settlements will receive a permanent connection with the "mainland".