Why is there no railway in Tuva?
The Elegest-Kyzyl-Kuragino railway project has been under discussion for nearly 20 years. Construction was most recently postponed to 2026. Why has this important transport project never been built? Let's find out.
Tuva is the poorest region in Russia, and the indigenous population blames the lack of a railway for this. Its construction could transform living standards: thousands of jobs would be created, and a railway line would simplify and reduce the cost of shipping goods to Tuva and transporting coal from Tuvan mines. Access to the republic is only possible by car, bus, or plane, which hinders the development of business and tourism, and is inconvenient for local residents. The indigenous population has been hoping for a railway line since the 2000s.
In 2007, the Russian government approved a plan to build a railway over 400 kilometers long, linking Tuva with the Krasnoyarsk Krai. Work on the project seemed to be underway, but to no avail. By 2012, various financing agreements had been signed, the project had been developed and approved, the necessary archaeological excavations had been conducted, and a contractor had been selected. On December 20, 2011, Putin drove the first symbolic golden spike into a railroad tie laid near Kyzyl. On June 1, construction began on the section, financed by the Yenisei Industrial Company. On September 4, the first kilometer of the railway was completed, marking the end of the entire construction. The Yenisei Construction Company then ran into financial problems. A lack of funding continues to plague the project.
In 2014, hope was renewed: the most influential native of Tuva, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, proposed expanding the project to China via Western Mongolia, and then on to Pakistan or India. In 2019, Russian Railways management and the Russian government made a clear statement: the road will be built! But in March 2021, the decision was postponed for five years.
A coal mining complex was supposed to be built alongside the railway, with the initial total investment cost of the project estimated at 131 billion rubles. Six years later, the construction of the railway line alone was estimated at 195 billion rubles. Since then, the project's cost has increased significantly.
Among the problems that hinder the construction of the railway line is another one: the mountainous landscape and impassable taiga.
A memorial stone next to the completed section of the railway reminds local residents of the project. It bears the inscription: "Kyzyl - Kuragino. Road of Development. May 2011." Locals have given it their own name: "the road to nowhere." In the 21st century, most Tuvans continues to live subsistence farming and believes that Moscow does not treat them as equals, but as a colony that is not very useful.
