From Sochi to Sakhalin

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About 4,500 miles away from the highly-publicised rail infrastructure programmes in Sochi, off the eastern coast of Russia, engineers are working tirelessly to replace an entire rail network for one small group of islanders.

In 2003, Russian Railways announced plans to upgrade Sakhalin’s 1067mm gauge railway tracks to allow them to accommodate 1520mm gauge traffic – the standard width used throughout Russia.

Russian Railways is now in the process of completely reconstructing the islands infrastructure, including new bridges, draining facilities and works to strengthen the island’s railway tunnels

The 1067mm gauge lines originate from rivalry between Russia and Japan over the sovereignty of the island, which is now home to 580,000 people.

The Treaty of Shimoda, which was signed in 1855, allowed nationals from both Russia and Japan to inhabit the island, with Russians in the north and Japanese in the south.

At that time there were no clearly defined boundaries until the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-05 at which point Sakhalin was divided in two.

Japanese D51 steam locomotives remained in use on the island until 1979 because of the narrow track gauge and the lines are only now in constant use thanks to a third rail set at the standard 1520mm gauge.

By 2015, 850 km of railways in Sakhalin will be converted to the standard gauge.

Photos courtesy of Russian Railways

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