Yakutsk-Magadan Railroad Megaproject: Routing Option Matters!

Abstract

The paper discusses the route options for the projected Yakutsk-Magadan railroad. The authors justify the expediency of choosing a coastal rather than continental route. The main results of the study are as follows: 1) the greenfield route is preferable due to the possibility of “stringing” on it the little-studied but potentially resource-rich territories of the Sea of Okhotsk coast; 2) a strong argument in favor of the coastal route is its proximity to the already known oil and gas resources of the Okhotsk shelf; 3) the coastal route connects three Far Eastern regions, while the continental route – only two; 4) the coastal route has greater geopolitical significance for Russia. The main conclusion of the study is that it is necessary to use the time gained due to the postponement of the project realization for a more thorough elaboration of the tracing variant.