NPS Installs 500 Kilometers of Catenary to Electrify BAM Railroad
In the Khabarovsk Krai, NPS unit Bamstroymekhanizatsiya has installed 500 kilometers of catenary to electrify the Volochayevka-2 – Komsomolsk-on-Amur – Vanino rail line. In total, the section requires the installation of 1,385 kilometers of messenger wire and an equal length of contact wire.
15 October 2026
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Work to switch the BAM railroad from diesel to electric traction is underway across 41 track sections, stretching from Mengon station to Sovetskaya Gavan. NPS is wrapping up the installation of catenary poles, with 27,000 out of the planned 28,000 units already completed. At stations and sidings, 1,500 out of the planned 1,700 rigid crossbeams have already been installed. Most of these structures have been installed in the sorting and transit yards of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur station, one of the largest hubs on the Far Eastern Railway.
The electrification project encompasses the entire scope of work, from drilling pole foundations to installing traction substations. Construction is being carried out under challenging geological conditions and amidst heavy rail traffic.
On already electrified sections, work is underway to adjust the catenary to allow the passage of electric trains. The adjustment aims to achieve optimal parameters that ensure consistent contact between the pantograph and the wire, preventing bounce, excessive impact, or wire sag.
Traffic is scheduled to open on the electrified Volochayevka-2 – Komsomolsk-on-Amur section this year, and next year, electric traction is set to reach the Pacific coast at Vanino station.
The electrification project encompasses the entire scope of work, from drilling pole foundations to installing traction substations. Construction is being carried out under challenging geological conditions and amidst heavy rail traffic.
On already electrified sections, work is underway to adjust the catenary to allow the passage of electric trains. The adjustment aims to achieve optimal parameters that ensure consistent contact between the pantograph and the wire, preventing bounce, excessive impact, or wire sag.
Traffic is scheduled to open on the electrified Volochayevka-2 – Komsomolsk-on-Amur section this year, and next year, electric traction is set to reach the Pacific coast at Vanino station.
