Salekhard–Igarka Railway

The Salekhard-Igarka Railway crosses the Arctic tundra between the Ob and Yenisei river systems, planned as a route for raw materials and passengers. Most of the line was never completed and now lies abandoned across the northern landscape, while short sections farther east remain in service.

Construction began in 1949 with forced laborers from camps and was meant to create a new link for industrial goods. After Stalin's death in 1953 work stopped and the line was never finished.

The railway remains a testament to Soviet industrialization efforts, with abandoned infrastructure and labor camp remnants scattered across the northern landscape.

Today only a section between Nadym and Novy Urengoy remains in operation, while other parts lie as ruins in the wilderness. Plans to revive the line to Salekhard aim for 2030, but most of it remains out of reach and without regular traffic.

Eleven locomotives were left behind and still rust in the tundra, silent witnesses to a vision never completed. Local people sometimes call the line the Dead Road because of its fate and the harsh conditions during construction.

Official opening: 1949

GPS coordinates: 65.85000,88.06667

Latest update: December 13, 2025 16:48