Norilsk Railway (Russian: Норильская железная дорога) is a single-track railway and formerly the northernmost railway line in Russia.

Norilsk Railway
Talnakh is a small station on the railway.
Overview
Native nameНорильская железная дорога
LocaleKrasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
History
Opened1937 (1937)
Technical
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+2732 in)
Route map

127
Taymyr mine
125
Octyabrskyy mine
124
Kharayelakh
avariynyy spillway
shtatnyy spillway
Energiya (TETs-2)
119
Yelistratova (node)
Obogatitel'naya fabrika
122
Komsomolskaya
120
Komsomolsky mine
Skalistyy mine
Fedorovskaya street
Talnakh river
117
Mayak
Talnakh river
116
Talnakh
Talnakh river
114
Marker 114 km
Norilsk river
Big Ol-Gul river
106
Valyok
Nalednaya river
99
Golikova
Pavlova street
Valkovskoye highway
Semyorka river
97
Marker 97 km
95
TETs-1
Tsemstroy
depo
Kobal'tovaya
Zavodskaya
No. 4
Talnakhskaya street
Nikelevyy Stop
Octyabskaya street
Medvezhiy creek
Nulevoy piket
Ugolnyy creek
93
Skladskaya
Razvedochnyy creek
Zapadnaya
Baydarskaya
Ugolnyy creek
Ugolnyy creek
Zapolyarnyy mine
Octyabrskaya ploshchad
90
Zub-Gora
Shchuch'ya river
89
Norilsk-Sortirovochnyy
Angidritnaya
Vokzalnaya street
Mednaya
88
17 raion
Razvedochnyy creek
Bunkernaya
Alevrolitnaya
Malyy Kupets river
Kupets river
86
Kupets
TETs-3
85
85 km
Yubileynaya
Snezhnaya river
82
82 km
79
Nezhdanaya
Daldykan river
Lugovoy creek
75
RGM. Daldykan
Kalargon
Kayerkan river
73
Razrez
Kayerkan
68
Ambarnaya
Ambarnaya river
53
Alykel
Airport
47
47 km
Volgochan river
43
Bolgochan
39
39 km
Sukhoy Log Creek
36
36 km
32
32 km
31
31 km
26
Boganidka
Yamnaya river
23
23 km
Bystraya river
21
Tundra
17
17 km
Kosaya river
13
Kosaya
8
8 km
Sklad VV
Artinatka river
3
Dudinka-Sortirovochnaya
Korotkaya street
1
Dudinka-Passenger station
Morozova street
Rechnoy port
Begicheva street
Sklad GSM
Okruzhnaya street
Veyernaya street
0
Morskoy port

Main information

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The railway is in northern Krasnoyarsk Krai, southern Taimyr Peninsula and connects the mining towns Talnakh, Norilsk and Kayerkan with the port Dudinka on the Yenisei. The railway line has a 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+2732 in) Russian gauge, and was partially constructed by the prisoners of Norillag. Originally, it was 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) narrow gauge, 114 km long, and built in 1936. Later, in 1953, it was rebuilt to Russian broad gauge and expanded to 231 km of track. The railway is owned by the Norilsk Nickel mining company and does not belong to Russian Railways.

 
Map of Norilsk railway

From 1957 onwards, the railway was electrified with 3kV DC in stages. Electrical Multiple Units of the ER1 and ER2 series were used for suburban passenger transportation. VL10 locomotives were used to haul heavy freight trains on the railway.

In the 1990s, the railway was in serious decline. In 1998 the electric catenary was removed and the electric rolling stock sold off. Diesel locomotives haul freight trains since then, passenger service on the railway was discontinued.

In the early 1990s, a paved highway connecting Norilsk with Dudinka was completed. The passenger train service on the Norilsk Line ended in 1998.

In 2010 in the Yamal Peninsula, Gazprom completed its Obskaya–Bovanenkovo Line, which is now the northernmost railway in Russia.

See also

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