Severomuisky tunnel, Russia

In Russia there are also many prominent tunnels. The largest one is the Severomuysky railway tunnel. Its construction began in 1977 and completed 24 years later. Its operational use commenced much later, in 2003. The structure of the tunnel is quite complicated and involves a lot of developments and a bypass with the total length of 54000 metres. It is named after the Severomuysky mountain range it cuts through. It is important to note that this region is characterized by harsh climatic conditions.

Partly for this reason, the completion of the tunnel was considerably delayed. It took more than 20 years and more than 8000 workers to put the tunnel into operation. The surrounding region is affected by seismic action, so preliminary work focused on the construction of fortifications.

It is a single-track tunnel which is mainly used by freight trains. It requires 20-25 minutes to pass through the section. Every day at least 15 freight trains pass through the Severomuysky tunnel. According to approximate estimates, it will serve at least a hundred years. Since its opening, the tunnel is continuously being improved especially in winter. As winter intensifies, the walls inside the tunnel are freezing and workers have to keep the walls free of strong ice by hand. To the beginning - Laerdal tunnel