Project on construction of railway approaches to Crimea Bridge obtains state expert approval (photo)

Federal Autonomous Institution GlavGosEkspertiza (Russia’s General Board of State Expert Review) says it has approved the project documentation and findings of the engineering survey under the project on construction of railway approaches to the Kerch Strait bridge.

Having studied the materials, the experts acknowledged the compliance of the project documentation and the findings of the engineering survey with technical regulations and other requirements.

The project is targeted at linking the Kerch Strait bridge with the available network of railways. Construction of railway approaches to the Kerch Strait bridge is foreseen by the Federal Targeted Programme “Social and Economic Development of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol till 2020.

As of today, all cargoes destined for Crimea are delivered from Russia across the Kerch Strait by a ferry service, the capacity of which is limited and depends of weather conditions. The new railway line will link Crimea with the mainland and considerably increase both freight and passenger turnover, reduce the travel time and create comfortable environment for all the parties involved.

The project provides for construction of a 18.128 kilometer long double-track line, new depot at the Kerch-Yuzhnaya station, as well as reconstruction of the Bagerovo station with its railway infrastructure development. The turnover is expected to be as high as 29 mln tonne-km.