Sakhalin Railway

Sakhalin Railway (Russian: Сахалинская железная дорога) is a division of the Far Eastern Railway that primarily serves Sakhalin Island. Due to its island location, the railway is the second isolated 1520mm gauge network in Russia, like the Norilsk railway. The only main connection to the mainland is the Vanino–Kholmsk train ferry. The management is located at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Sakhalin Railway Division
Sakhalin railway network
Sakhalin railway network
Sakhalin Railway in Kholmsk
Sakhalin Railway in Kholmsk
Overview
Native nameСахалинская железная дорога
OwnerRussian Railways
Area servedSakhalin Island
LocaleSakhalin Oblast, Russia
Transit typeHeavy rail
Number of stations84
Operation
Began operation1945
Operator(s)Far Eastern Railway
Infrastructure manager(s)Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Technical
System length804.9 km (500.1 mi)
No. of tracks1
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Old gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

History
A Japanese D51 steam locomotive outside the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk railway station
Japanese Government Railways map of Hokkaido, Chosen, Karahuto, and Manchukuo

The Treaty of Portsmouth following the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 placed the northern half of Sakhalin under the control of the Russian Empire, whilst the southern half (Karafuto) was under control of Japan.

On the Japanese half of the island, a 42.5-kilometre-long (26.4 mi) railway was built from Korsakov (大泊 (Ōtomari)) to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (豊原 (Toyohara)), with a gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in). This section was later converted to the normal Japanese railway gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in).

In 1911, a 64 km (40 mi) branch was built from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Starodubskoye (Sakaehama). Between 1918 and 1921, the towns of Nevelsk (本斗 (Honto)), Kholmsk (真岡 (Maoka)), Chekhov (野田 (Noda)) and Tomari (泊居 (Tomarioru)) were also connected to the network. The Japanese railway network consisted of the Western Karafuto Railway from Naihoro (Gornozavodsk) to Tomarioru, and the Eastern Karafuto Railways from Otomari to Koton (Pobedino) until 1944. Its total length was over 1,225 km (761 mi).

After the Second World War, control of the whole of the island passed to the Soviet Union, including the island's complete rail network and rolling stock. Wagons from the Soviet railways were re-gauged for use on the island. The locomotive factory in Lyudinovo produced diesel locomotives of the models TG16 and TG21 specifically for use on the island's narrow gauge network. Additionally, trains were imported from Japan, such as the purpose-made A1 sets made by Hitachi Rail and Teikoku Sharyo (1958-1960), followed by the D2 sets made by Fuji Heavy Industries (1986) and ex-JNR KiHa 58 railcars, purchased second hand in the early 1990s.

The Soviet era saw the network extend into the north of the island, with a total extent in 1992 of 2,500 km (1,600 mi). By 2006, little-used sections such as Dachnoye–Aniva and Dolinsk–Starodubskoye had been closed, but the network still had a total length of 2,025 km (1,258 mi).

In 1992, the Sakhalin Railway was split from the Far Eastern Railway and made its own administrative entity. It reverted to being part of the Far Eastern Railway in 2010.[1]

The new track 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) / 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
Contemporary era of railway after re-gauge, DMU RA3-026 in Korsakov (2022)

In order to allow regular Russian trains to run on the island, the island's rail network underwent conversion to Russian broad gauge[2] starting from 2003. Russian Railways formally completed the regauging work in August 2019.[3] Last scheduled train on 1067mm line Holmsk-77km pk9 was run at 30.09.2020.[4]

Future prospects

Potential connection to the mainland
Main article: Sakhalin Tunnel
Chronology of railways in Sakhalin

The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin planned to construct a tunnel between Sakhalin and the Russian mainland, which would have linked Sakhalin to the rest of the Soviet rail network. The project was begun using forced labor between 1950 and 1953 but was canceled after Stalin's death.

Since 1973, a train ferry has connected Vanino (on the mainland near Sovetskaya Gavan) with the town of Kholmsk on Sakhalin.

There have been some calls from politicians to revive the concept of building a bridge or tunnel between Sakhalin and the mainland, although there have been concerns that the costs of the project would outweigh the benefits.[5] However, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev announced his support for the project in November 2008, suggesting the link could be completed by 2030, with bridge rather than a tunnel, and far more northerly route.[6] In February 2013, the Russian government announced plans to build the link, including it in the 2012–2015 federal transport plan. It would connect the Sakhalin Railway to the Baikal–Amur Mainline at Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The link, estimated at 21 billion rubles, would require about 925 km (575 mi) of new construction on the mainland, a 16 km (9.9 mi) bridge across the northernmost part of the Strait of Nevelskoy, and an additional 320 km (200 mi) of new track to connect the line to the existing network.[7]

Potential connection to Hokkaido
Main article: Sakhalin–Hokkaido Tunnel

There have also been proposals to connect the southern tip of Sakhalin to the Japanese island of Hokkaido via a 40-kilometre-long (25 mi) bridge or tunnel. This link would allow a direct land transport link for container traffic from Japan to the Asian mainland and Europe.[8][9]

Rolling stock
  • RA3
    RA3
  • Д2
    Д2
  • ТГ16 - 073
    ТГ16 - 073
  • ТГМ7-027 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
    ТГМ7-027 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
  • TG16M in Chekhov
    TG16M in Chekhov

See also

References
  1. "Сахалинская железная дорога войдет в состав ДВЖД" [Sakhalin Railway will be part of the Far Eastern Railway]. // Sakhalin.info. Archived from the original on 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  2. "Railway a Gauge of Sakhalin's Future". The Moscow Times. 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012.
  3. "Российская колея по всему Сахалину: движение открыто". Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  4. 共同通信 (2020-09-30). "サハリン、日本の鉄路に幕 宮沢賢治「銀河鉄道」にも ｜ 共同通信". 共同通信 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  5. "Sakhalin rail link too expensive.(World Report)". International Railway Journal. 1 December 2003. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  6. "Russian President wants to connect Sakhalin with the Mainland (Russian)". Prima Media. 19 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  7. Vorotnikov, Vladislav (2013-02-18). "Russia plans rail link to Sakhalin island". railjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  8. "Plan for Tunnel to Sakhalin Unveiled". St Petersburg Times. 28 November 2000. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  9. "Sakhalin-Hokkaido Tunnel Project Discussed in Sakhalin". Interfax. 29 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.

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