Issues of railway operation and maintenance in the land areas of the Russian Arctic zone

Abstract

The Russian Arctic zone includes Murmansk Region, Nenets, Yamal-Nenets, and Chukotka Autonomous Areas, and the northern municipal units of Arkhangelsk Region, the Komi Republic, Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). In the coming years, it is planned to include it in the exclusive development plan. The Russian Arctic zone is a vast territory, and its effective and comprehensive development is one of the main national priorities. Among the basic national interests of Russia in the Arctic, the following can be distinguished: the use of the Russian Arctic zone as a strategic resource base, and the use of the Northern Sea Route as a national transport and logistics system. These directions shall be achieved not only at the cost of the development of air and sea transport routes but also by means of the development and maintenance of railway transport (multimodal) corridors, which in the future will promote sustainable functioning of the Russian Arctic zone and integrate its regions into a common economic area. The paper describes the basic tasks in the construction and maintenance of railway corridors in permafrost soils, related to cryogenic processes occurring in northern latitudes. The obtained results can be used as an auxiliary tool to support the design documentation on the establishment and maintenance of stronghold areas, including to reduce process risks related to the operation and maintenance of railway track facilities in the Russian Arctic zone.