MAJOR PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET ASIA BETWEEN THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R01141A001400060002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 88
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 20, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 1, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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SECRET
N? 71
MAJOR PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORTATION
IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET ASIA
BETWEEN THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL
CIA/RR 59-18
May 1959
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC1 Sees. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
MAJOR PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORTATION
IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET ASIA
BETWEEN THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL
r?,
( bffice of Research and Reports
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The purpose of this report is to place in perspective the develop-
ments in transportation which have taken place since 1950 in Soviet
Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal. The report presents as a
general background the state of rail transport in this area before 1950
and an analysis of the recent regional economic development of the area,
with particular reference to the role played by transportation. The
evolution of. the transportation j)rogram is related necessarily to the
tempo of the general economic development of the area. Estimates of
present and future developments in the transportation system,.therefore,
have been tested, measured, and compared with planned levels of indus-
trial and agricultural activity as well as with the strategic require-
ments of Soviet Asia between the. Urals and Lake Baikal.
The statistics presented in the last section of this report are
" intended to illustrate primarily the interrelationship of.the railroad
system with the heavily industrialized economy and also to illustrate
the demand for transportation materials occasioned by current invest-
ment in the Siberian areas.
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S-E-C-R-E-T
Page
Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A. Importance of Soviet Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
B. Status of Rail Transport in 1950 ? ? ? ? ? . ? ? ? ? 5
II. Development and Planned Objectives Since 1950. . . . . . 6
A. West Siberia (Region IX). . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1. Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
a. Openings of New Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
b. Electrification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
c. Double Tracking and Improvement of -Line . 12
d. Extra Trackage Versus Alternate Routes . . . 14
2. Pipelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
B. Kazakhstan and ,Central Asia?(Region X) . . . . . . . 15
1. Kazakhstan (Region Xa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
a. Openings of New Lines . . . . . . . . . . . 15
b. Traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2. Central Asia (Region Xb) . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
C. Krasnoyarskiy Kray and IrkutskayaOblast . . . . . . 20
1. Railroads . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . 20
a. New Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
b. Electrification . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 22
2. Pipelines . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3. Base for Industrial Traffic . .. . . . . . . . . . 23
D. Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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III. Interrelationship with the Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A. Demands of the Economy on Transportation . . . . . . . 24
1. Principal Commodities and Commodity Groups . 26
a. Coal and Coke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
(1) West Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
(2) Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . 30
(3) Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
(4) Krasnoyarskiy Kray . . . . . . . . . 32
(5) Irkutskaya Oblast . . . . . . . . . . 32
(6) Conclusion . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 33
b. Petroleum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
(1) West and East Siberia . . ... . . . . 33
(2) Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
(3) Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
(4) East Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
c. Wood and Timber . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . 39
d. Iron Ore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
(1) West Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
(2) East Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
(3) Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
e. Ferrous Metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
(1) West Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
(2) Kazakhstan and Central Asia . . . . . . 44
(3) East Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
(4) Future Plans for the "Third"Steel Base 44
f. Grain . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
g. Cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . 47
h. Mineral Construction?Materials . . . . . . . . 47
i. Miscellaneous Freight . . . . . . . . . . 49
2. Creation of Traffic -- Balances and Imbalances 51
3. Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
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B. Demands of Transportation on the Economy . . . . . . . 62
1. Investments in Railroads and Pipelines . .. . . . . 62
2. Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
a. Capital Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
b. Operational Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3. Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Appendixes
Appendix A. Length of Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Soviet
Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal as of
1 January 1958 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix B. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in West Siberia, 1951-55 and
1956-6o Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. Estimated Increase in the Length of Electrified Railroads
in the Eastern Regions of the USSR Compared with the
Increase in the USSR as a Whole, 1951-55 and 1956-60
Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Electrification of Railroads in Soviet Asia Between the
Urals and Lake Baikal, Before 1951, 1951-55, and 1956-60
Plan .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4. Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Kazakhstan, 1951-55 and
1956-6o Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Central Asia, 1951-55
and 1956-60 Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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 6. Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Krasnoyarskiy Kray and
Irkutskaya Oblast, 1951-55 and 1956-60 Plan . 21
Total Railroad Loadings and Coal and Coke Loadings in
Specified Regions and Oblasts of Soviet Asia Compared
with Similar Loadings in the USSR as a Whole, 1955 . ? 28
8. Production of Coal in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and
Lake Baikal, 1950-57 and 1960 Plan . . . . . . . . 29.
9. Coal Originated and Terminated on the Railroads of
Central Asia, 1940, 1950, 1955, and 1956 . . . . . . . 31
10. Oil Pipelines Constructed in the Urals, West Siberia,
and Northern Kazakhstan, 1951-55, and Plan for the
Eastern Regions, 1956-60 . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
11. Movement of Petroleum and Its Products, by Different
Modes of Transport in the USSR, 1955 and. 1960 Plan 37
12. Railroad Loadings, Deliveries, and Net Exports of Areas
in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal,
1955.. .....................
13. Comparison of Production of Coal in the Kuzbas, Coal
Shipped from the Kuzbas to the Urals and the West, and
the Average Density of.All Westbound Freight on the
Railroad, 1940,1950-56, and 1960 Plan . . . . . .
14. Loadings and Deliveries in the Eastern Regions of the
USSR, 1955 . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
15. Average Density of Net Freight Movements on Railroad
Systems in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake
Baikal, 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
16. Net Railroad Traffic Density on the Omsk-Novosibirsk.
Stretch, 1940, 1950, 1952-56, and Forecasts for 1960.
and 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17. Investment in Railroads-of the USSR, by Selected
Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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 18. New Equipment Attributable to Soviet Asia Between
the Urals and Lake Baikal, 1956-60 . . . . . . . . 65
19. Amount, Value, and Share of National Production of
Selected Basic Materials Required in Construction
of Railroads and Pipelines in Soviet Asia Between
the Urals and Lake Baikal, 1956-60 . . . . ... . . 66
20. Amount, Value, and Share of National Production of
Basic Sources of Power Estimated for Operation of
Railroads in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and
Lake Baikal, 1956-60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
21. Length of Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Soviet
Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal as of
1 January 1958 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Figure 1. Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal:
Railroads and Oil Pipelines, 1959 (Map) ? ? 4
Figure 2. USSR: Regional and Interregional Coal
Traffic Originating in Soviet Asia Between
the Urals and Lake Baikal, 1955 (Map) . . 30
Figure 3. USSR: Regional and Interregional Coal
Traffic Originating in Soviet Asia Between
the Urals and Lake Baikal, 1960 (Map) . . . 30
Figure 4. Soviet Asia: Railroad Traffic Flow of
Principal Commodities (Other Than Coal and
Mineral Construction Materials), 1955 Inside
(Map) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Figure 5. USSR: Total Railroad and River Transport
Loadings Compared with Similar Loadings in
the Eastern Regions and Soviet Asia, 1950-55
(Chart) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
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MAJOR PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORTATION
IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET ASIA
BETWEEN THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL*
' The period of reconstruction of industry and transportation in the
USSR following World War II came to a conclusion about 1949. To main-
tain industrial security in depth and to permit further continuation
of economic growth, Soviet leaders since then have looked increasingly
to the Asiatic areas of the USSR.
The development of these areas has required a'substantial invest-
ment in the transportation system, both to tap isolated resources and
to handle an increasing volume of traffic. This investment has been
concentrated in railroads and petroleum pipelines, particularly in
Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal.** The rudimentary sys-
tem of transportation which connected the primitive economy of Siberia
* The estimates and conclusions in this report represent the best
judgment of this Office as of 1 May 1959.
**, The area studied in this report includes all Soviet territory south
of the 60th parallel lying between the Urals and Lake Baikal (see the
inset above).
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with the principal areas of production of the western USSR and with
the eastern and southeastern frontiers of the USSR before 1950 has
been undergoing an increasingly significant expansion and moderniza-
tion since that time.
New construction is planned to provide greater flexibility of
east-west transportation. More important, however, will be the inter-
connection of the widely dispersed resource bases and agricultural
areas in this area with the expanding processing and, manufacturing
centers of the USSR to create an additional cohesive and vital asset
for the Soviet economy. The expanded railroad network will facilitate
settlement in the area and exploitation of hitherto untouched indige-
nous resources.
In the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55) the initiation of a signifi-
cant growth in heavy industry and agriculture in Siberia was reflected
in sharply increased investment in transportation. In that period,
3,390 kilometers (km) of new line were opened to traffic; 1,032 km of
the line were double tracked, and 945 km of double-track line were
electrified at an approximate cost, exclusive of equipment, of 6,507
million rubles.* Total investment in transportation during those
years was 45 billion rubles for the entire USSR (see Table 17*-*).
During 1956-60, Soviet policy dictated an intensification of the
programs for expanding heavy industry in Siberia and for utilizing the
mineral and agricultural resources of Soviet Asia between the Urals
and Lake Baikal. The Twentieth Pasty Congress authorized a resurvey
of this area for raw material and mineral resources. No petroleum was
discovered in West Siberia or East Siberia (Economic Regions IX and
XI)(-x-)(-), but some deposits were located in Kazakhstan and Central Asia
(Economic Region X), where natural gas also was present. Development
pf hydroelectric resources was projected on a large scale. The new
lands program brought extensive acreages of the northern Kazakh steppe
into production of grain. Forestry and lumbering were expanded greatly
in East Siberia.
Following these developments, programs were initiated to expand
the ferrous and nonferrous metal industries. A "third" ferrous metal
* Except where. otherwise indicated, ruble values in this report are
expressed in current rubles and may be converted to US dollars at the
official rate of exchange of 4 rubles to US $l. This rate of exchange,
however, does not necessarily reflect the true dollar value.
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 base* was projected for Siberia, and Kazakhstan became the leading
area of the USSR in mining and refining nonferrous ores. Production
of new basic metals was planned for various centers in Siberia. Large,
new plants manufacturing rolled steel products, agricultural equipment
and chemicals were provided for. The cement, lumber, and paper indus-
tries also were included in a major phase of this expansion.
The resultant demand for transport service led to a further sub-
stantial increase in investment in transportation in Soviet Asia.
Although the program retains its emphasis on the railroads, the expan-
sion of trunk pipelines for oil also is receiving attention. Approxi-
mately 4,800 km of new rail line are planned for completion; 1,415 km
of line are to be double tracked, and 3,010 km of line are to be elec-
trified by 1960, at an estimated cost of about 10.3 billion rubles.
Planned line improvements, including heavy rails, concrete ties, rock
ballast, and modern signaling, will require 4.3 billion rubles in
addition. The cost of new equipment to be utilized on the line during
1956-60 is estimated to be about 8.8 billion rubles. In contrast with
this total of about 23.4 billion rubles, the original plan for 1956-60
for investment in transportation in the USSR as a whole amounted to
70 billion rubles.
To relieve the railroads of the costly movement of petroleum to
the industries of Siberia and Communist China, a network of high-
capacity pipelines is being constructed eastward as'far as Irkutsk,
with plans for continuing to the Pacific in the future. A total of
6,800 km of pipe are planned for the Urals and eastward, at an esti-
mated installed cost, exclusive of refineries, of 5.1 billion rubles,
with an eventual, capacity through to Irkutsk of more than 20 million
metric tons*-* per year.
Present indications are that most of the Soviet goals for invest-
ment in transportation in 1956-60 either will be met or will not be
missed sufficiently to affect the planned flow of freight traffic.
The primary objective of Siberian transportation in 1960, the comple-
tion of electrification from Moscow to Irkutsk, is about on schedule
and should be accomplished. Some electric locomotives, however, may
.have to be impoited'from the European Satellites and the West in order
to complete the equipment program for this line.
The current plan for the Eastern Regions (Regions VIII through
XII) is a crucial part of the Soviet aim to overtake and to surpass
the most advanced capitalistic countries in per capita production, and
For discussion, see p. 44, below.
* Tonnages are given in metric tons throughout this report.
3
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 its impact has been heavily concentrated in Soviet Asia between the
Urals and Lake Baikal.
A.. Importance of Soviet Asia.
The area treated in this report is defined to include all
Soviet territory south of the 60th parallel lying between the Urals
and Lake Baikal. It includes all of Region X -- Kazakhstan and the
four Central Asian republics (Kirgiz SSR, Uzbek SSR, Tadzhik SSR, and
Turkmen SSR) -- and much of Region IX (West Siberia) and of Krasnoyar-
skiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast in Region XI. This area is an in-
tegral part of the Eastern Regions (Regions VIII through XII), which,
by Soviet definition, encompass all of Siberia proper, including the
Urals, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia.*
An examination of transportation and related activities in
Soviet Asia between the Urals and lake Baikal between 1950 and 1970 is
significant because this area is scheduled to receive the major empha-
sis in an intensive program of economic growth and industrial develop-
ment, with an output in magnitudes of worldwide significance. This
development will take place particularly in the fields of metallurgy,
electric power, and fuel.
Associated with the development of heavy industry in Soviet
Asia is a program for expansion and modernization of transportation
facilities, calling for a large increase in capital investment in rail-
roads and pipelines (see the map, Figure l**). There will be far
greater expenditures for line improvement and new facilities in the
northern portions of Kazakhstan and along the main line of the Trans-
Siberian Railroad than in the Central Asian republics.
The Trans-Siberian Railroad, which has served various portions
of Siberia since 1898, is undergoing electrification and substantial
rebuilding to enable the line to accommodate high-density, high-speed
* In the release of certain information, particularly statistics on
production of petroleum, the term Eastern Regions in Soviet usage
sometimes appears to include also that portion of the Volga, Region
(Region VI) east of the Volga River.
** Following p. 4.
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traffic. To the south, the parallel main line of the South Siberian
Railroad is being completed from the Uralss to Tayshet. In northern
Kazakhstan, between Kustanay and rnaul, the Central Siberian Rail-
road is being constructed.-
The railroad network of Economic Region X, once an area of
isolated lines, is coming to resemble a section of a spiderweb, with
the radii extending from north to south, southeast, and east, and the
perimeter formed by the main lines of the Turkestan=Siberian, Tashkent,
and Ashkhabad Systems.* Radial lines, new and old, are directed toward
points on or near the frontier of the USSR, from which contact with
neighboring countries can be made. The railroad plan includes cross
links which will make possible shifts from one radius to another and
will provide access to isolated, newly developed mineral, agricultural,
and industrial concentrations. Nearly all these lines are to be single
track. As recently stated by Boris P. Beshchev, Minister of Railroads
of the USSR, the new railroad lines are transforming the economy of
these areas. ~**
Status of Rail Transport in 1950.
In 1950, Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal was
served by all or a part of 12 different railroad systems. The general
pattern consisted of the double-track main line of the Trans-Siberian
Railroad running in an east-west direction across Siberia, the Trans-
Caspian and Central Asian Railroads extending from Krasnovodsk on the
eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to the border of Afghanistan and the
Fergana Valley, the Orenburg System connecting the southern Urals with
Central Asia, and the Turkestan-Siberian System joining a branch of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad with the eastern extremity of the Trans-Caspian
Railroad. Substantially all lines other than the main line of the'
Trans-Siberian Railroad were single track.
The railroads in Siberia were built originally for a number of
reasons, mainly political and strategic, but by 1940 considerable
economic traffic had begun to move over these railroads, particularly
on the portions'of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad crossing
West Siberia. The principal cargo by weight was high-grade coal moving
westward from the Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbas) to the steel, heavy machinery,
and armaments industries in the Urals. The principal cargoes on the
Turkestan-Siberian Railroad were grain, coal, and wood moving southward
from Siberia to Central Asia and oil moving northward, whereas the
* The term system as used in this report refers to the railroad
systems defined and numbered on map 13739 (first revision, 12-56) USSR:
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 Orenburg System had become the chief artery connecting the cotton-
growing and fruit-growing districts of Uzbek SSR with the central
regions of European USSR. The Trans-Caspian lines in turn were be-
coming a means by which petroleum from Baku was moved to the oil-barren
areas of Siberia.
In Irkutskaya Oblast, besides through traffic on the Trans-
Siberian Railroad, shorter movements stemming from the Cheremkhovo
coal fields were assuming significance. The opening of the branch line
to Ulan Bator in Mongolia in 1949 added to the through traffic and to
the strategic importance of the rail lines in Irkutskaya Oblast, as did
the progress eastward of the Baikal-Amur Magistral (BAM) line from
Tayshet to the port of Lena (Osetrovo) on the Lena River.
There were no trunk pipelines for petroleum in 1950 in the por-
tion of Siberia dealt with in this report.
II. Development and Planned Objectives Since 1950.
Efforts to expand the raw material base of the Soviet economy since
1950 have emphasized the resources of West Siberia and Kazakhstan,
principally coking coal, iron ore, and nonferrous minerals, along with
a number of sites suitable for the development of hydroelectric power.
This area also encompasses the principal belt of the new lands, re-
cently cultivated on a. large scale to provide an increase in Soviet
grain supply. Moreover, West Siberia is a communications zone between
the western USSR and the Far East, including Mongolia and Communist
China. All such factors add to a prospect for heavy movement of bulk
commodities over an extended period of time.
Rail transport has been critical to development in: these areas
because of the long distances between commodity bases and markets and
because of the remoteness of the region from the sea. The river sys-
tems do not provide an effective or reliable channel of movement,
because their general direction of.flow is from south to.north when the
need is for east-west transport. Furthermore, these rivers are frozen
for 6 months of the year.
Traffic on the Trans-Siberian Railroad was comparatively light
from the time the USSR took over its operation until the Third Five
Year Plan (1938-42). In those years the type of operation was more like
that on railroads in Europe than on those in the US. By the mid-1930's,
however, the constantly increasing traffic on the Trans-Siberian Rail-
road caused the USSR to adopt a trend toward US standards and away from
those of Europe. More powerful locomotives (mountain-type) were intro-
duced, and a gradual conversion of the freight car park from 2-axle
 cars with a capacity of 15 to 25 tons to 4-axle cars with a capacity
of 50 to 60 tons, equipped with automatic couplings and airbrakes, was
begun. During World War II, considerable up-to-date rolling stock was
received from the US.
Line modernization was renewed under the Fourth Five Year Flan
(1946-50) with the installation of heavier rail (101 pounds per yard),
tie plates, creosoted ties, sand and rock ballast, and automatic
signaling on intensively used sectors of the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
Yards and passing tracks were too short to accommodate freight trains
of increased length. Operating speeds were slow, and servicing stops
were long and frequent.
The railroad systems operating in West Siberia are the South
Urals, Omsk, and Tomsk. These systems operate the lines with the
heaviest freight densities in the USSR. Three other systems, the
Sverdlovsk, the Krasnoyarsk, and the Turkestan-Siberian, enter the
region for short distances.
a. Openings of New Lines.
New lines opened to traffic in West Siberia since 1950
are estimated to have amounted to 636 km under the Fifth Five Year Plan
(1951-55) and were to.amount to 906 km during 1956-60. These routes
and their lengths are shown in Table 1.* The total additions of new
lines between 1950 and 1960 represent a 30-percent expansion of the
network of railroads of West Siberia which existed in 1950. (See Ap-
pendix A.) The two most important stretches opened between 1950 and
1955 were the lines between Ea.rnaul and Kulunda and between Artyshta
and Chesnokovka. These single-track lines completed the main line of
the South Siberian Railroad from the Kuzbas and Altayskiy Kray to the
Urals. Another important line;opened in this period was the stretch
from Kurgan just across the Kazakh border, in the direction of Peski,
where it is to join other lines in Kazakhstan. It is intended to be a
feeder to the trunk lines from the more westerly portion of the new
lands. Several hundred kilometers of narrow-gauge line also were laid,
either to tap forests and virgin land or to serve as a base of con-
struction for broad-gauge lines in that area. 3
Repeatedly announced as under construction in 1956-60
was a Barnaul-Omsk line.. Apparently, much of this line will be part
of the east-west main line of the Central Siberian Railroad which is
to connect larnaul with Kustanay. Most of the West Siberian portion
* Table 1 follows on p. 8.
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S-E-C-R-E-T
Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in West Siberia
1951-55 and 1956-60 Plan
1951-5.5
Actual.
Kurgan-Kazakh border a
93
Artyshta-Chesnokovka
200
Barnaul-Kulunda
343
1956-60
Plan
Stalinsk-Luzhba Y (East Siberian border)
150
Kulomzino-Irtyshkoye (Kazakh border)
160
Kazakh border - Karasuk
76
Karasuk - Kamen'-na-Obi
250
Kamen'-na-Obi - Chesnokovka
230
Inskaya-Sokur (Burlak)
40
a. That portion of the Kurgan-Peski line in West Siberia only.
b. That portion of the Stalinsk-Abakan-Abaza line in West
Siberia only..
of this line will.lie between Karasuk and Barnaul. Traffic has al-
ready started between Karasuk and Kamen'-na-Obi,, and rail laying is.
under way southward from Kulomzino oppo1Is/ite Omsk to Irtyshskoye, where
the line will cross the Irtysh River. J The Barnaul-Omsk line is
designed primarily to provide a new outlet for grain from the new lands
and to relieve the Omsk-Novosibirsk sector of the main line of some of
the coal traffic between the Kuzbas and the Urals.
The most widely heralded line construction accomplished
since 1955 is the single-track railroad from Stalinsk to Abakan which
was partly opened to traffic in December 1957. /. A branch of this
line in East Siberia presently serves the Abaza ore mining areas. As
other branches are completed and the line becomes fully operational,
the exploitation of areas with coal, iron ore, and manganese deposits
will be facilitated. Although regarded as an extension of the main line
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of the South Siberian Railroad, the Stalinsk-Abakan line probably never
will compete with the Trans-Siberian Railroad for fast through traffic,
because of the tortuousness of the roadbed and.the grades. Much im-
provement of the line remains to be done. Adequate passing tracks and
preferably centralized traffic control will be needed to offset the
limitations of a single track. Alos, it is probable that the line
eventually will be converted to diesel or electric traction.
Most of the other lines in West Siberia planned for
operation by 1960 are small branch lines designed to facilitate the
exploitation oftimber and of agricultural and mining resources. Some
of these proposed branch lines will provide short cuts from existing
centers of exploitation to the main lines of the Central Siberian and
Trans-Siberian Railroads.
An important aspect of the construction of new lines in
West Siberia is the bypassing of congested areas. A cutoff from the
important Inskaya classification yards south of Novosibirsk to the main
line station of Sokur, 36 km east of Novosibirsk, has recently been
completed. / This cutoff and current improvements under way at Inskaya
will speed up traffic and enable all through freight to bypass Novosi-
birsk. A similar bypass is planned for Sverdlovsk.' The vital traffic
center of Omsk, however, remains without a bypass. The single-track
loop built there in 1946-47 has fallen into virtual disuse, and new
station and yard arrangements are currently under construction. 7J A
truly effective bypass line, however, would require construction of
another bridge across the Irtysh River.
b. Electrification.
With the exception of electrification of the 141-km
line from.Stalinsk.to Belovo in the Kuzbas before World War II, no
electrification of a main line was undertaken in Siberia east of the
Urals until 1951 (see Table 2*). Between 1951 and 1955,'electrifica-
tion of 811 km of main line was accomplished in West Siberia.(see
Table 3*-*). Most of this electrification was on the high-density line
between Omsk and Novosibirsk as well as from Omsk westward to Isyl'-
Kul'.
According to Soviet railroad officials, the plan for
1956-60 has as first priority the completion of electrification of the
main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Irkutsk as
part of the planned electrification to Vladivostok by 1970. About
1,600 km of this electrification will take place in West Siberia. The
* Table 2 follows on p. 10.
** Table 3 follows on p. 11.
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Table 2
Estimated Increase in the Length of Electrified Railroads
in the Eastern Regions of the USSR
Compared with the Increase in the USSR as a Whole
1951-55 and 1956-60 Plan
Status,
end of 1950
Fifth Five Year Plan
(1951-55)
Planned Status,
end of 1960
Eastern
Total Regions
Eastern as Percent
USSR Urals Siberia Regions of USSR
2,265 .341 945 1,286 56.8
8,lob 952 3,162 J 4,114 .50.8
a. 143 km of this distance are east of Irkutskaya Oblast Ulan-Ude to
Petrovskiy 2avod).
plan was to electrify the Tomsk System of the main line of the Trans-
Siberian Railroad to Tayga by the end of 1958 and probably to extend
electrification to Mariinsk by the end of 1959. The intention is even-
tually to electrify the complex of lines leading ading to Kemerovo, Stalinsk,
and other points in the Kuzbas via Yurga, J but apparently this elec-
trification will be done after 1960. The plan for 1956-60 for electri-
fication is on schedule at present.
Individual lines electrified in West Siberia before
1950 and under the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55), as well as those in
Kazakhstan and East Siberia planned for electrification by 1960, are
shown in Table 3.* No lines in Central Asia have been electrified, and
as yet, apparently, there are no plans for any such electrification.
In accordance with the original plan for 1965, at the
close of that year three electrified lines would extend from Moscow to
the Urals, converging to two at Kurgan and to one at Omsk, 9] with a
fourth line branching off at Abdulino and extending to Karaganda.
* Table 3 follows on p. ll.
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Electrification of Railroads in Soviet Asia
Between the Urals and Take' Baikal
Before 1951, 1951-55, and 1956-60 Plan
Before 1951,
West Siberia
Belovo-Stalinsk
.Total before 1951
1951-55
West Siberia
Omsk-Novosibirsk
627
Novosibirsk-Inskaya
19
Ob'-Inskaya
27
Isil'-Kul' - Omsk
138
811.
East Siberia
Irkutsk-Slyudyanka
Total, 1951-55
1956-60 Plan
West Siberia (including Omsk System stretch across
North Kazakhstan and South Urals stretch in Urals
Region leading to Chelyabinsk)
Chelyabinsk - Isil'-Kul'
66o
. Omsk-Nazyvayevskaya
149
Novosibirsk-Itat
475-
Inskaya-Sokur
4o
Inskaya-Belovo
289
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Electrification of Railroads in Soviet Asia
Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
Before 1951, 1951-55, and 1956-60 Plan
(Continued)
Ust' Kamenogorsk - U1'ba Perevalochnaya
30
East Siberia (Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya
Oblast only)
Itat-Irkutsk
1,376
Total, 1956-60
3,019
Grand total
4,105
Eighty-five percent of all double-track lines will have a capacity of
up to 35 million tons per year in the loaded direction,* and 15 per-
cent will have a capacity of more than 35 million tons per year in the
loaded direction. ** 10
Besides electrification, the original Sixth Five Year
Plan (1956-60) called for a number of other projects, designed to advance
railroad standards and to increase the volume and speed of traffic
through the area under study, including line improvements such as double
tracking, heavier rails, and modern communication and signaling instal-
lations. Late in the period of the Fifth Five Year Plan, double
tracking was started from Sverdlovsk in the direction of Omsk, but the
work progressed less than 50 km before the end of 1955.
The recently built connection from Artyshta in the
Kuzbas to Chesnokovka across the Ob''River from Barnaul is to be double
* The term loaded direction refers to the direction in which the
greater flow of freight moves annually and which, as a rule, controls
the movement of cars in both directions.
** See the tabulation, p. 57, below.
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tracked, and double tracking of the'line from Barnaul southwestward to
Semipalatinsk has already been completed. The two railroads leading
in a southeasterly direction from Sverdlovsk to Kurgan and Omsk, respec-
tively, were scheduled to be double tracked. The extra track on the
line to Omsk is supposed to be installed by 1960, 11 and, if feasible,
electrification of this line will be completed simultaneously. Double
tracking of the Kurgan-Sverdlovsk line is reported to have been fin-
ished on time. 12
The line with the heaviest density traffic in the USSR
is the stretch of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad between
Omsk and Novosibirsk. Soviet railroad officials indicate that they
have begun a program for installation of R-75 rail (151 pounds per
yard) on the Omsk-Novosibirsk and Petropavlovsk-Chelyabinsk stretches
of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in West Siberia and on a line of the
Karaganda System, believed to be the stretch from Karaganda to Tobol,
in northern Kazakhstan. The rail first became available in January
1957. When the work is completed, these sections of line should be
comparable to the best main-line divisions of such heavy-density sys-
tems as the Norfolk and Western and Pennsylvania Railroads in the US.
Other heavily used lines in West Siberia are being relaid with R-65
rail (131 pounds per yard).
At present, increases in the weight of trains and
hence in line capacity are limited by length of the station tracks on
many main lines. With short headway traffic such as exists on the
Omsk-Novosibirsk run, it is customary for trains to overtake each
other at the more important stations, where they stop primarily for
light servicing and often for loading and other necessities as well.
Station centers or small yards are provided for this purpose, the
standard track lengths of which, up to 1956, were 850 meters. By
1960, station tracks on the Omsk-Novosibirsk route are to be lengthened
to 1,050 meters, L3/ a distance which will permit the addition of ap-
proximately ten to fifteen 4-axle cars per train. These extra cars
can be handled easily by the N-8 electric locomotive on the straight
and level sections of line between Omsk and Novosibirsk.*
In conjunction with the heavy rail being laid, new ties
now being installed in the main line generally are creosoted and are
spaced closely on lines carrying the heaviest traffic. Programs for
replacing ties, however, tend to fall short of established plans, and
experiments are continuing with prestressed ferroconcrete and asbestos
silicalcite ties.
* For the N-8 to move its maximum load of 8,000 gross tons, however,
station tracks or sidings.1,500 meters long will be required. The
Sixth Five Year Plan did not provide for such tracks or sidings.
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 Most Soviet railroads have sand or sand and rock bal-
last, but present plans call for ballasting 61,000 km of track with
crushed rock throughout the USSR by 1961. 14 The Trans-Siberian
Railroad appears to have a priority in this program.
d. Extra Trackage Versus Alternate Routes.
Investments in new automatic signaling, centralized
traffic control, improved communications, and revamped classification.
yards constitute another approach designed to speed up rail traffic
through West Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and East Siberia. The
high densities of traffic encountered on the runs between Omsk and Nov-
osibirsk and between Omsk and Chelyabinsk, however, continue to pose
serious questions of railroad operation. Planning announcements gen-
erally have stressed a preference for opening new routes over multiple
tracking as a means of relieving pressure on the capacity of old lines.
New routes offer a means of developing wider stretches of country and
of reducing the risk of interruption to traffic owing to accidental or
natural disaster. On the other hand, the Soviet press states that
double tracking of an existing railroad triples its capacity at 60 per-
cent of the cost of building a new line.
2. Pipelines.
The building of pipelines for conveyance of oil and natural
gas constitutes an additional investment program which will promote
capacity in this, area by relieving the railroads of a large tonnage of
coal and petroleum. I Movement of petroleum by rail has become a costly
burden to the USSR, not only because petroleum must travel long dis-
tances but also because there is no suitable commodity for the return
haul to the area of origin of the petroleum. The, movement of coal and
coke has put the Omsk System portion of the main line in West Siberia
close to capacity operations. The substitution of natural gas for
some of this fuel will give corresponding relief to the railroad, even
though the relief may be temporary.
Oil pipelines built in West Siberia under the Fifth Five
Year Plan consisted 'mainly of the crude oil pipeline between Tuymazy
and Omsk and a parallel pipeline for petroleum products from Ufa to
Omsk. These pipelines were not opened until 1956, but soon thereafter
the round trip movement of tank cars between Ufa and Omsk was greatly
reduced, probably by between two and three 60-car trains per day. Cur-
rently, work is under way on a 28-inch pipeline to carry crude oil
from Tuymazy to Irkutsk and on a 20-inch petroleum products pipeline
from Ufa to Novosibirsk, with extension later also to Irkutsk. Nearly
6,000 km of the total distance of 7,500 km is scheduled for completion
by the end of 1960.,
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B. Kazakhstan and Central Asia (Region X).
In Kazakhstan (Region Xa) and Central Asia (Region Xb) the de-
velopment program for the railroads consists primarily of building
new lines. Most lines are single track and are slated for the present
to remain so. Other than some petroleum which transits the area in an
easterly direction, almost all traffic in Central Asia is originating,
terminating, or local. Kazakhstan, on the other hand, has several
significant transit movements, and one important haul originates within
its borders for movement out of the region -- that of Karaganda coal to
.the Urals.
Before the start of the Fifth Five Year Plan, there were
about 8,500 km of rail lines in Kazakhstan. (See Appendix A.) The
major systems operating in Kazakhstan were the Karaganda, Turkestan-
Siberian, and Orenburg, along with lines projecting from the South
Ural and Tashkent Systems and a short stretch of the Omsk System. In
a major reorganization of the railroads in June 1958, all the trackage
of the first three systems within Kazakhstan, together with a long
spur of the Tashkent System, were combined into a new Kazakh System, L5/
which then became the longest railroad system in the USSR with the
greatest amount of annual movement in ton-kilometers.
Under the Fifth Five Year Plan the main sections of
line newly opened to traffic were the Sorokovaya-Pavlodar stretch of
the Karaganda System and the Mointy-Chu line of the Turkestan-Siberian
System (see Table 4*). The former constituted a necessary link in the
main line of the South Siberian Railroad through the new lands and
tapped the important coal deposits at Ekibastuz and the copper ores at
Boshche-Kul' (Bozshakul'). The latter made possible the movement of
Karaganda coal southward to Central Asia. Total distance opened to
traffic was about 1,140 km.
During 1956-60, more than 2,700 km of new railroad
construction may go into service.in Kazakhstan, much of the work having
been planned or started before 1956. This entire line will be single
track, but at the outset it will be built strongly with rail of 101 or
more pounds per yard. Starting in the west, a complex of new lines is
being installed around Kustanay for the triple purpose of (1) serving
the immense new iron ore workings of Sokolov-Sarbay, the Kushmurur
soft coal mines, and a promising asbestos deposit near Dzhetygara /;
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Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Kazakhstan
j 1951-55.and. 1956-60 Plan .
1951-55
Actual
Sorokovaya-Pavlodalr
400
Kokchetav-Chkalovo
80
Tuz-Kala - Uspenka
32
Zashchita-Zyryano
sk
184
i
Mointy-Chu
447
1956-60
Plan
Kustanay-Peski
270
West Siberia border - Peski
167
Kustanay-Tobol-Dzhetygara
218
Yesil'-Turgay
226
Turkestan-Kentau
70
Atasu-Karazhal
74
Syr-Dar'inskaya - Uzbek border (Central Asia)
100 a]
Peski-Kokchetav
180
Chkalovo - West Siberian border ,
65
Solonichki-Aktogay /
659
Gur'yev - Volga Region border
280
Irtyshskoye (Kazakh border) - West Siberian border c/
135
Aktogay-Gosgranitsa.
308
a. Estimated.
b. Chkalovo-Irtyshskoye line.
c. May not be opened until after 1960.
d. Gur'yev-Astrakhan' line.
e. Irtyshskoye-Karasuk line. The total length of line is 205 km, of
which 76 km are in West Siberia.
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(2) providing westerly connections for the Central Siberian Railroad;
and (3) opening up a short cut between the industrial. centers of
Karaganda and Orsk, the latter being a consumer of coking coal in the
southern Urals.
The north-south line from Utyak (a suburb of Kurgan) to
Peski will provide for movement of coal and grain from northwest Kazakh-
stan to the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the northern
Urals.
The main line of the Central Siberian Railroad was
developed to serve the new lands, and construction began in 1954 on
a 1,850-km narrow-gauge network operated by steam locomotives. Plans
were modified shortly afterward, however, and by mid-1955 it was evi-.
dent that many of the supposedly narrow-gauge lines were being built
as broad-gauge railroads. J
It was then suggested that the entire 830 km of narrow-
gauge lines, between Kustanay on the west and Kaymanachikha on the
east (later changed to Kustanay-Irtyshskoye, 710 km), be converted to
broad gauge by 1960. This route generally has been referred to since
by the USSR as the "Central Siberian." In addition to its primary
function of carrying grain, the Central Siberian Railroad will provide
an east-west route paralleling the routes of the Trans-Siberian and
the South Siberian Railroads. The Central Siberian Railroad is to be
joined in 1959 or 1960 by a rail line being constructed southward'along
the left bank of the Irtysh River. This new railroad from Kulomzino
(Omsk), which is being constructed as a single-track line, will serve
the dual purpose of providing a new route from Barnaul to Omsk when the
Central Siberian Railroad is completed and a northern outlet for the
coal mining center of Ekibastuz. The broad-gauge link between Irtysh-
skoye and Karasuk across West Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, which
is needed to complete both the Central Siberian Railroad and the Omsk-
Barnaul route, probably will not be completed and opened until after
1960.
Until June 1958 the western part of Kazakhstan was
served by the Orenburg System, which formed the crossroads of two major
routes. The northwest to southeast route connects the Central and
Volga Regions with Uzbekistan and the southwest to northeast route
brings together the Emba oil fields and the industrial cities of the
Urals. Extension of this latter route from Gur'yev to Astrakhan' is to
be completed by 1960. A third through route is projected west of and
parallel to the first route to connect the middle Volga district near
Saratov with Central Asia, crossing the southwest-northeast line of the
Orenburg System at Makat. 1
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Another new route of importance due to be opened in
1956-60 is a north-south.connection of 95 km between Orenburg and
Yermolayevo. When established, this line will furnish a direct link
between Orenburg, the Ishimbay oil field, and Ufa. The Orenburg Sys-
tem is steadily being used more intensively as a transit network as
well as an originator of bulk freight from important deposits and in-
dustries located along its lines.
The Druzhba (Friendship) Railroad,.a new link between
the USSR and China, is being built from Aktogay on the Turkestan-
Siberian System for a distance of 308 km to the Sinkiang border of
China in 1956-60. / There are conflicting reports, some stating
that the USSR will continue construction as far as Urumchi in Sinkiang
and others that construction from the border to Urumchi will.be accom-
plished by the Chinese.
Projected for opening soon after 1960 is a connecting
radius line from Solonichki to Aktogay, work on which undoubtedly will
advance far in 1956-60. 20 This line will shorten the distance by
rail between the Chinese frontier connection and the Southern Urals
and will complete a southern through route between Moscow and Peking.
In 1955, railroad lines in Kazakhstan were predomi-
nantly steam operated. Diesel locomotives were operating on 2,614 km
of route, whereas steam engines provided traction on 7,196 km. Of the
lines dieselized in 1955, 1,661 km were operated by the Orenburg Sys-
tem in western Kazakhstan. Diesel locomotives will take over a number
of additional stretches from 1956 to 1960. The only trackage which
may be electrified consists of the portions of the new Omsk-Barnaul
route to be built in Kazakhstan and possibly the main line from Kara-
ganda to Kartaly, which was double tracked in 1955. 21
The railroads of Central Asia are now administered mainly
by the Ashkhabad and Tashkent Systems. In Kirgiz SSR, there are also
280 km of line which, until recently, were administered by the Turke-
stan-Siberian System and now are under the new. Kazakh System. (See
Appendix A.)
The Ashkhabad System is located in the southwestern part
of Central Asia. Since the end of World War II, new rail construction
has been concentrated on a line along the west shore of the.Amu Dar'ya
River. The stretch from Chardzhou to Urgench was put in operation in
1953 and extended to Kungrad for temporary operation by July 1955 (see
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Table 5). The Chardzhou-Kungrad line provides transportation for
cotton and dried fruits from the lower Amu Darya oasis, previously
inadequately served by river transport on the shallow Amu Dar'ya
River and by expensive motor and air transport and camel caravan.
After 1960 this rail line is to be extended northwest to Makat on
the Orenburg System and eventually to Aleksandrov Gay on the Volga
System.
The Tashkent System serves the northeastern part of Cen-
tral Asia. Its length at the end of 1950 was 2,375 km of which about
865 km were outside Central Asia. The system interchange point now
is being shifted southward, however, to align the systems with the
republ'icos~, as was done previously in Belorussia and the Baltic Repub-
lics. J Under the Fifth Five Year Plan the Tashkent System in
Central Asia was increased only 88 km -- believed to be minor indus-
trial spur lines.
Rail Lines Opened to Traffic in Central Asia
1951-55 and 1956-60 Plan
1951-55
Actual
Chasdzhou-Takhia Tash
511
Miscellaneous short stretches of the Tashkent
System
88
Abandoned
Uch Adzhy - Chamkakly
1956-60
Plan
Dzhizak - Kazakh border
22
Takhia Tash -.Kungrad
127
Mukry-Gausdak
40
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 Extensions planned for the Ashkhabad System in 1956-60
include a line about 127 km long from Takhia Tash to Kungrad, which
completes the Chardzhou-Kungrad route.
In the entire 10-year period 1951-60, only 788 km of new
line were opened or.planned for opening in Central Asia. Incentive for
expansion of the railroad network in this region was lessened by diffi-
cult terrain, dry climate, and a scarcity of natural resources.
About 1,500 km of gas pipelines are to be built in Central
Asia in 1956-60. Nolsignificant amount of oil pipelines is to be laid.
C. Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast.
1. Railroads.
a. New Lines.
The Krasnoyarsk System, the only railroad system oper-
ating in Krasnoyarskiy Kray, administers the 649 km of the main line
of the Trans-Siberian Railroad within the kray and for short distances
in each direction in, West Siberia and Irkutskaya Oblast. The principal
branches in Krasnoyarskiy Kray are the single-track lines from Achinsk
to Abakan and from Reshety to Poyma (see Table 6*).
Major openings of new lines include the Stalinsk-Abakan
and Askiz-Abaza lines previously described** and a line northward from
Achinsk to Abalakovol. The latter line, in addition to aiding construc-
tion of a new hydroelectric development at Abalakovo and opening iron
ore deposits, apparently constitutes the first leg of a route which is
to extend northward adjacent or parallel to the Yenisey River, giving
transportation during all seasons to Yermakovo, Igarka, Noril'sk, and
other remote arctic areas. Construction of the northern extension of
this line is a long-term project, however, and neither the terminal
point nor the completion date has been announced.
Rail lines in Irkutskaya Oblast are few. (See Appen-
dix A.) Rather than new feeder lines, emphasis has been placed on
improvement of east-west communication on the main line of the Trans-
Siberian Railroad, which, is the principal railroad in the oblast,
traversing the area for a distance of 943 km. Administration of the
main line in Irkutskaya Oblast is performed mainly by the East Siberian
System, with the short distance of 42 km west of Tayshet assigned to
the Krasnoyarsk System. The latter also operates the single-track BAM
line extending eastward from Tayshet to Lena.
* Table 6 follows on p. 21.
* See p. 8, above.'
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Table 6
Rail Lines Opened to Traffic
in Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast
1951-55 and 1956-60 Plan
1951-55
Actual
Reshety-Poyma
Irkutsk-Slyudyanka
Tayshet-Lena
Total
Abandoned
Irkutsk-Baykal
1956-60
Plan
185
127
700
Bratsk bypass line 130
Achinsk-Abalakovo 258
Krasnoyarsk-Shumikha 70
Krasnoyarsk - Krasnoyarsk GES 150
Krasnaya Sopka - Goryachegorsk 55
Border of West Siberia - Abakan (including branches) 212
Askiz-Abaza 78
Total 953
Abandoned
Vikhorevka-Vidim 120
Although natural resources are widely distributed
throughout the oblast, their development has been hindered by remoteness
and inaccessibility. The planning of railroads to reach the major min-
eral deposits has been deferred owing to long distances and rugged ter-
rain. I
The double-track, electrified cutoff from Irkutsk to
Slyudyanka was constructed between 1950 and 1955. This new line per-
mitted abandonment of through movement over the old section along the
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Angara River, which was below the water level of the reservoir to be
created by, a dam being constructed on the Angara River at Irkutsk.
The RAM line in Irkutskaya Oblast stems from the divi-
sion point of Tayshet on the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad
and extends eastward for a distance of 700 km to the port of Lena. ?~/
The BAM line is a single-track, steam-operated railroad planned in the
1930's as a second route to the Far East to supplement the Trans-
Siberian Railroad. By 1951-52 the line was in temporary operation
only as far as Lena. The remainder of the railroad, planned to be
built between 1960 and 1970, will either run northeast from Lena
through Kirensk and Olekminsk to Aldan or head more directly eastward
through Nizhne-Argarsk to Chul'man or Mogocha. Such a railroad, if
built, would give year-round access to newly investigated mineral
deposits and greatly aid in the economic development of the upper Lena
Basin. The influence on Irkutskaya Oblast of the extension of the BAM
line presumably would be concentrated at Tayshet.
A 120-km section of track of the Tayshet-Lena line is
being relocated to avoid the Bratsk reservoir. 24 The relocated line
will not be opened until 1960, because it must cross the Angara River
via the Bratsk Dam. The Tayshet-Lena line transports chiefly timber
in westbound movement, whereas construction materials for the Bratsk
.hydroelectric power project (GES) move in the opposite direction to the
site of the dam. Petroleum and logistical supplies move eastward, with
a transfer point to the Lena River at Lena.
Grade construction on the eastern end of a line from
Tayshet to Abakan.was.begun in mid-1958, but this line will not be com-
pleted until 1963. An eastward extension of the main line of the South
Siberian Railroad, it will cross difficult terrain, requiring some
7 tunnels and 25 bridges. Initially, it will have diesel traction and
later will be converted to electricity. 25 This line will permit
Abakan iron ore to move directly to Tayshet, where a metallurgical com-
bine is planned for 1961-65.
Through both Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast,
the entire main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad is to be electri-.
fied by 1960 as:far east as Slyudyanka. Electrification of the 130 _km
Irkutsk-Cheremkhov.o sector is believed to have been completed in the
latter part of 1958 and probably will be, in full operation by the
spring of 1959. 26 An interurban electric trolley car line is operat-
ing between Irkutsk and Cheremkhovo carrying commuters, thereby re-
lieving the main line of this service.
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2. Pipelines.
Two large oil pipelines to Angarsk near Irkutsk are due
to be completed by 1960, and the next decade should see the construc-
tion of an oil pipeline for the remaining distance to the Soviet Far
East. Along with seagoing tankers and railroad shipments, the latter
.pipeline will serve to meet the growing requirements of transporting
petroleum into the oil-deficit eastern areas.
3. Base for Industrial Traffic.
The Sixth Five Year Plan (1956-60) for Krasnoyarskiy Kray
and Irkutskaya Oblast provides for an expansion of the industrial base,
including new oil refineries, steel mills, and aluminum plants, in
addition to a substantial, enlargement of present coal mining operations..
Plants making end products such as aircraft, agricultural
equipment, and machine tools are already in operation in Irkutskaya
Oblast. The requirements for transport of such a base above those of
through traffic will be facilitated by means of electrification and
modernization of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, possi-
bly with additional trackage between Cheremkhovo and Irkutsk. The
shifting of inbound petroleum traffic to pipelines should expand the
capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railroad throughout this area.
D. Equipment.
The principal bottleneck in carrying out plans for electrifi-
cation of Soviet railroads seems to be a shortage of electric locomo-
tives. Locomotives that operate on alternating current will be needed
soon for the Krasnoyarsk System. The USSR has a few pilot models
undergoing tests but has not yet succeeded in building an engine which
can operate from the wire on both 22,000 volts alternating current and
3,000 volts direct current. 27 Several experimental locomotives built
in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, are now being tested, with a sizable order
in the offing. 28 Fifty electric locomotives operable on alternating
current have been ordered from a French firm to help fill the require-
ment, and undoubtedly orders have been placed or are in process of
negotiation with other countries. In the meantime, plants in the USSR
expected to furnish 346 new electric locomotives (mostly for opera-
tion on direct current) and 375 new 2-section diesel locomotives in
1958.* 29 Production of steam locomotives has stopped, but parks of
spare steam locomotives have been observed at various points, so that
the effect on traffic of the shortage of alternating current locomo-
tives probably will be negligible.
Actual production was later reported as 344 electric locomotives
and 712 single-section diesel units.
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The carrying capacity of freight cars is an important factor
in increasing performance of rail lines in the Eastern Regions. Ac-
cording to Soviet railroad officials, the USSR will construct and
place in service 6,000 6-axle gondola cars by 1960, each with a ca-
pacity of 93 to 95 tons. The trucks of these cars are to be equipped
with roller bearings and are designed to operate under full loads at
speeds up to 100 km per hour. 30/ The cars are intended to promote
economy and speed in cargo turnover and would be well suited to carry-
ing coal from the Kuzbas to the Urals.
The Soviet program for 1957 called for 500 gondola cars with
a capacity of 93 to 95 tons each, but deliveries are reported to be
behind schedule. Production is being carried on in two plants, and if
the target for 1960 is not met punctually, the extent of lag should
not be significant. A rough estimate of the ability of the 6,000 high-
capacity gondolas on order to transport coal from the Kuzbas to Magnito-
gorsk, with a 20-percent inoperative allowance,,would be 33 million
tons per year. The USSR foresees the use of these cars as having a
visible effect on the national economy.
III. Interrelationship with the Economy.
A. Demands of the Economy on Transportation.
The new railroads and pipelines and related technical improve-
ments in Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal are designed to
absorb the impact on transportation of planned industrial and agricul-
tural development. in the decade before World War II, the railroads
generally were able to meet the demands placed upon them by the economy
of the area by building new branch lines to tap mineral deposits and
by acquiring additional rolling stock, both locomotives and cars. In
1940 the average density of freight moving in the "loaded direction" --
that is westward on the Omsk-Novosibirsk route -- was 15.6 million tons
and this route had become one of the most heavily traveled stretches
in the USSR.
The abnormal' traffic conditions which arose during World War
II have not been recounted in detail by Soviet publications, but evi-
dently the Siberian railroads were used intensively for the support of
the fighting front and the national economy. The equipment park was
not placed under so.great a strain as might be imagined, owing to
Soviet success in withdrawing the greater part of the rolling stock
from the path of theladvancing Germans and having it available for use
on a much reduced rail network. US aid equipment arriving via the
Pacific and Vladivostok also added to the park.
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The Fourth Five Year Plan (7,946-50) was devoted to the recon-
struction of the war-torn sections of the European USSR, and although
the Siberian areas were drawn on for raw materials, there was not much
enlargement of plant. Under the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55), how-
ever, northern Kazakhstan and the part of West Siberia south of the
main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad received a highly significant
economic boost from two programs -- the new lands development program
starting in 1954 and the expansion of the industrial base in the Urals
for increasing the defensive capabilities of the USSR. In the last
3 years of the plan, marked increases were evident in the production
and transportation of coal, ferrous and nonferrous metals, nonmetallic
minerals, grain, and timber in West Siberia and northern Kazakhstan.
In southern Kazakhstan and Central Asia, production of cotton, petro-
leum, and mineral fertilizer was pushed upward, but growth in other
commodities was less pronounced. In Krasnoyarskiy Kray, coal mining
in particular was expanded. In Irkutskaya Oblast the construction of
a new industrial center was begun. All through these areas, prepara-
tions were made for building hydroelectric power stations wherever the
volume of water and the terrain suited the purpose. A significant
start was made on electrification of railroads.
The overriding industrial objective of the USSR is "to over-
take and surpass the most advanced capitalist countries in per capita
production." Li/ In accordance with directives of the Twentieth Party
Congress of the Soviet Communist Party (1955), plans were prepared for
further expanding the metallurgical base of the USSR. There were a
number of reasons why the original objectives of the Sixth Five Year
Plan should have included an increasing share of over-all capital in-
vestment for the Siberian areas. For example, in Siberia east of the
Urals are major reserves of basic raw materials which can be collected
and made available for use at costs relatively lower than in the Euro-
pean USSR. In the Eastern Regions are situated 75 percent of all known
coal reserves of the USSR, 32 80 percent of the timber reserves, rves, Ll
and approximately 50 percent of the reserves of iron ore. J In the
areas east of the Urals alone are 29.5 percent of the reserves of iron
ore, exploration and prospecting of which are far from complete.
Particularly large and rich deposits of iron ore have been found in
Kustanayskaya Oblast of northern Kazakhstan, and 90 percent of the~c~
country's nonferrous deposits are located in the Eastern. Regions. J
Also, production costs which are substantially lower than
those of the European USSR make the Eastern Regions attractive for
future investment. A ton of Siberian coal costs one-fifth to one-
sixth as much as a ton of Moscow Basin coal, and the calorific value
is 20 percent higher. One ton of pig iron in the Kuzbas costs 230
rubles compared with 300 to 350 rubles for 1 ton in the Ukrainian SSR.
The cost of hydroelectric power on the Angara and Yenisey Rivers is
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 estimated to be from 0.8 to 1.0 kopek per kilowatt-hour 36 36/ in con-
trast with 1.4 kopeks per kilowatt-hour on the Volga River.
In exploiting the mineral. resources of Siberia, the USSR has
in mind the eventual creation of a so-called "third" steel base in the
east, the Ukrainian being the first and the Urals the second. The
Urals, however, will receive both coal and iron ore in major propor-
tions from West Siberia and Kazakhstan. The iron ore deposit at
Magnitogorsk is becoming depleted and more difficult to mine, and limi-
tations on the facings mean that Magnitogorsk will have to receive
ores from more remote locations to maintain capacity operations. L7/
In the long run, therefore, there may be greater dependence on ma-
terials shipped from Siberia. In addition to their basic cost, these
materials will bear freight charges at rates of from 2.5 to 3 kopeks
per ton-kilometer for long distances. Thus it seems more reasonable
to construct.new basic industrial plants nearer the deposits of raw
materials.
By 1960, several large hydroelectric powerplants are scheduled
to commence operations to take advantage of the large untapped poten-
tial available in Siberia.
Increased development of industrial, forest, and agricultural
resources in Siberia will require an adequate transportation system
for maintenance. For this purpose, as previously pointed out, the
waterways are not well suited, and the railroad network must be
strengthened. In 1955 the railroads carried 89.8 percent of the traf-
fic in Siberia. 38 It was planned that 82 percent of the freight move-
ment in the USSR in 1958 would be carried by rail. Even though some
relief may be obtained by construction of oil pipelines, by 1960 the
proportion of traffic transported by rail in Siberia still will exceed
that planned for the nation.as a whole in 1958. In general, new rail-
roads will be built, and existing railroads will be improved to accord
with the planned development of the coal, steel, and nonferrous indus-
tries in the Eastern Regions. To serve timber operations, narrow-
gauge lines, trucking, and floating are used more frequently. If it
actually happens that in 1956-60 about half of all capital investment
of the USSR takes place in the Eastern Regions, there certainly will
.be a need for a great increase in transportation to accompany the
opening of mines and industrial plants and the enlargement of the sown
area.
Coal and coke constitute the leading item of freight
in Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal. In 1955, loadings
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S-E-C-R-E-T
of coal and coke amounted to 108 million tons, or approximately 48 per-
cent of total loadings in the area (see Table 7*). The impact of ex-
pansion programs in a number of major industries, particularly the
steel industry, falls on coal as the basic source of energy. In spite
of planned shifts in the energy base from coal to hydroelectric power,
natural.gas, and petroleum, the important position of coal and coke in
Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal should not change ma-
terially through 1960. The Eastern Regions will continue to produce
almost one-half the coal mined in the USSR. The new demands of an
expanding heavy industrial base and the continuing net requirements of
industry in the Urals for coal will maintain if not increase current
high levels of coal traffic on Kazakh and Siberian railroads.
Figures 2** and 3** show the volume and flow of coal
produced in Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal in 1955 and
1960, respectively.
(1) West Siberia.
The center of greatest activity and importance in
the coal and coke industry in Soviet Asia is the Kuzbas, with its lo-
cated coal reserves estimated at 900 billion tons, including 260 bil-
lion.tons of coal of coking quality. Coal is consumed in the Kuzbas
itself by the Kuznetsk Steel Combine, which produced 2.7 million tons
of steel in 1955. 39 In the first 6 months of 1958, construction was
started on a second large steel mill to be. known as the West Siberian
Steel Combine. Also, several coking plants of importance are located
in the Kuzbas. Besides meeting local demands, the Kuzbas supplies more
than half of the requirements of the steel and other industries of the
Urals for coking coal, and some coal from the Kuzbas moves as far west
as Moscow. Although such a long haul generally is regarded as uneco-
nomical, 14 million tons of coal were transported an average of 1,900 km
from the Eastern Regions to the Central and Volga Regions in 1955, 4y
and 1.1 million tons of Kuzbas coal ' ~were shipped to Region VII in 1956
solely for use by the railroads. J In 1955 the Kuzbas produced 58.5
million tons of coal, and the goal for 1960 is 88 million tons (see
Table 8***). In the recent past the K:uzbas1HH1X has consumed about
half of its own entire output of coal. 42 It is estimated that more
than 29 million tons of Kuzbas coal were transported to the Urals and
beyond in 1955, supplemented by approximately 2 million tons of coke.
About 1 million tons of coal from East Siberia also is believed to have
traveled this distance. In addition, it is estimated that 4 million
tons of Kuzbas coal have moved westward through Novosibirsk for dis-
tribution to Omsk and other cities of West Siberia.t
* Table 7 follows on p. 28.
** Following p. 30.
*xx Table 8.follows on p. 29.
HHHE Novosibirsk is believed to have been included with the Kuzbas in
this announcement.
t Text continued on p. 30.
-'27 -
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S-E-C-R-E-T
Total Railroad Loadings and Coal and Coke Loadings
in Specified Regions and Oblasts of Soviet Asia
Compared with Similar Loadings in the USSR as a Whole
1955
All Commodities
Area
(
Thousand
Metric Tons)
Th
d
M
t
i
_ _____ -
_
-
ousan
-
e
r
c-Tons
Percent-of-Total
West Siberia
103,367
57,600 (estimated)
55.7
Kazakhstan
58,046 J
27,098 J
46.7
Central Asia
2
41
4
5,7
J
5,
00 c/
20.9
Krasnoyarskiy Kray
/
14,723 J
6, 000 dJ
40.8
IrkutskayaaOblast
21,938
12,346 J
56.3
Total
223,815
108,444
1,267,000 1
389,000 J
a. L3/
b. Coal loadings were 15.0 percent of total coal loadings of 370.6 million tons in the
USSR, L4/ and coke loadings were estimated at 2 million tons on the basis of data in
source L5/.
c. /. Totals for all commodities in Kazakhstan and Central Asia have been adjusted
to reflect the data in Table 12, p. 52, below.
d: Estimated 90 percent of coal production.
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 Production of Coal in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
1950-57 and 1960 Plan
1960
Area
1950
1951
1952 1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
Plan
West Siberia
38,526
41,284
44,104 46,519
50,584
58,539
66,200
72,500
88,000
Kazakhstan
17,364
18,759
19,838 21,404
23,680
27,974
31,450
30,600
44,758
Central Asia
3,800
3,800
4,400 4,800
5,300
5,900
6,400
7;100
11,200
Krasnoyarskiy Kray
3,781
4,300
4,800 5,400.
6,000
6,700
7,800
9,200
15,000
Irkutskaya Oblast
8,476
8,850
9,596 9,970
11,680
13,393
14,755
15,500
18,000
- 29 =
S-E-C-R-E-T -
 The major impact of this movement fell on the
Novosibirsk-Omsk stretch of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Rail-
road. In 1955, coal and coke traffic on this line was at its point of
highest movement -- 36 million tons. In addition, 12.7 million tons
of other freight were moved westward that year.* In 1956 and in 1957,
total shipments were even greater.
The plan for 1960 calls for moving 33 million tons
of coal from the Kuzbas to the Urals and beyond. L8/ In addition,
2.5 million tons of coal from East Siberia and.4 million tons of coke
from the Kuzbas also will move west. Five million tons of coal will
be required west of Novosibirsk for distribution within West Siberia.
The total movement of 44.5 million tons represents a steady traffic
of 52 trains of 4,200 gross tons per day (2,400 net tons) -- that is,
2.2 trains per hour leaving Novosibirsk. On the return eastward, more
than 80 percent of these cars probably will be empty. This estimate
ultimately may prove to be too conservative, especially if more coal
should become available as the result of improved mining methods and
conditions.
Plans to shorten the length of haul and take the
pressure off the railroads in West Siberia by providing a rail link
between the Pechora coal fields and the North Urals are not yet being
effected. Until such alternate sources are made available, the Kuzbas
will continue to be;the main external supplier of coal for the Urals.
(2) Kazakhstan.
The second most important movement of coal in
Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal is the flow from Kazakh-
stan to the Urals. Of the 24.7 million tons mined at Karaganda in 1955,
it is estimated that about 8.1 million tons were consumed in the Kara-
ganda area. Approximately 1.9 million tons moved southward for con-
sumers in southern Kazakhstan and in Uzbek SSR. The remainder of about
14.7 million tons of Karaganda coal was shipped in the direction of the
Urals.
In 1955, of 2.3 million tons of coal mined at Ekibas-
tuz, indications are that 2 million tons reached Akmolinsk, from where
it was dispatched by different routes to the Urals.
It is estimated that the Karaganda-Akmolinsk route
will transport in 1960 approximately 10 million tons of coal (4.7 mil-
lion tons less than in 1955). By that time, it is expected that the
South Siberian Railroad will be operated largely with diesel traction
* See Table 16, p. 60, below.
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 t2
o
1
f
1
J
WESTERN i
USSR
Xi
WEST SIBERIA
EASTLSIBERIA
XIII
U R A L S KRASNOYARSKIY I
KRAY
r '.00g I I
2.40 1
f1 ~~ rV~r ;`I
J t~ IRKUTSKAYA ? XIi
.
~e~I2 i
1.2 ACNINSN
BZASSIIN OBLAST'; FAR EAST
1 ]W ~i
2.7
KA D
BASN A 31,800 / 1?oq? 1 2,000
27,100
(7 p a
17.100 23.800 MINUSINSK eo 6,400
~IO,OOU BASIN
121ao IRKUTSK
K K BASIN
\
.oi 12,400
Xb BAS
CENTRAL ~~_. $ Xa
/
ASIA
AZ Ks STAN 1 ~?
e USSR: REGIONAL AND INTERREGIONAL COAL C
TRAFFIC ORIGINATING IN SOVIET ASIA BETWEEN
THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL1955
CENTRAL
SAS41 FIGURES IN MILLION METRIC TONS I7~
1
/
o mo .a6 eao ew sox 6,00? loadings Terminated Lderregiorwlly .. f
a too?`6?M eao eoa ~ 6 loadings Terminated Regionally /r
1
.m........ Major Coal 1 l } V
Rroducing Area r~~l I { t
272139 4.59 SECRET
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 CY ~
a
40 0
a q
~
s~
~ s,
~
`ryr
WESTERN
USSR
XI
WEST SIBERIA
,Po
EASTCSIBERIA
XIII
URALS 1%
KRASNOYARSKIY I
~
KRAV 1 ~
J
C i ~~ ~~r
0
q
IRKUTSKAYA it .3
'
~
XII
~ -
OBLAST
; ..
~...,5
FAR EAST
yam,
3.000 11
38,700
ASHASINC J.500
4: Ir
23,700 300
) 9,000 td
3. .so0
a
/ 0. 00
BASIN J 10,500
KU I
,~ BASIN
1
~17
000
L
XU KARAGANDA BASIN
000
BASIN 84
V
,
,
0
0-
CENTRALS 44,0
,
~
~.~
ASIA KAA4AKSHSTAN
0 dR s
USSR: REGIONAL AND INTERREGIONAL COAL
` `z 00
TRAFFIC ORIGINATING IN SOVIET ASIA BETWEEN
THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL, 1960
CENTRAL
1
ASIA
10,200
FIGURES IN MILLION METRIC TONS
- -
_~
a
no wo e? em iooo
E.o00 loadings Terminoted Inlerr9gionall,
loadings Terminated Regionally
~
,
I
o vao wo eoo eoR ,ooo
.uo+.e,..
M
l
C
'i
ajor
oa
Producing Area
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27290459 SECRET
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and hence will require iittle'coal. Expansion of local industry in
the Karaganda area in 1960, including aTrew steel producing center at
Solonichka is expected to require 10 million tons more of the native
coal than in 1955, leaving less.Karag'anda coal for.shipment westward.
Coal mined at Ekibastuz in 1960, however, will be sufficient in
quantity to permit the loading of.approximately 10.5 million tons for
shipment west of Akmolinsk.
The anticipated increases in production of Kush-
murun lignite by 1960 could add 2 million to 3 million tons to the
load on the Akmolinsk-Kartaly line.. At a later date the Kushmurun
Kustanay cutoff line should be completed, providing a direct -route to
the Sokolov-Sarbay iron ore mining and concentrating combine near
Kustanay.
Production of coal in Kazakhstan for pertinent
years is given in.Table 8.*
(3) Central Asia.
Production of coal in Central Asia in 1955 amounted
to about 5.9 million tons, of which 5.4 million tons originated on the
railroads of Turkmen MR, Kirgiz SSR, Tadzhik SSR, and Uzbek SSR. This
figure is about 21 percent of the tonnage of all freight originated
there. 49 The goal for production of coal in 1960 is 11.2 million tons.
In spite of efforts to increase the output of coal
in Central Asia, especially at Angren, the local demand for coal has
continued to exceed the supply, so that Central Asia has been a net im-
porter of coal for many years (see Table 9).
Coal Originated and Terminated on the Railroads of Central Asia a/
1940, 1950, 1955, and 1956
Thousand Tons
1940
1950
1955
1956
Originated
1,498
3,474.
5,376
6,007
Terminated
1,903
4,413
6,370
7,183
Net imports
405
939
. 994
1,176
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 The actual volume of coal shipped into Central
Asia in 1955, primarily over the Mointy-Chu line, was about 1.5 mil-
lion tons. A short-distance counterflow of brown coal from Central
Asia to Kazakhstan amounted to 500;000 tons, as indicated by a net
inflow close to 1 million tons. (See Table 9.*)
In following the present and anticipated movement
of coal by rail in Central Asia through 1960, it appears that the
maximum density of coal traffic in 1960 over any one stretch of track
will not exceed 6.2 million tons, and for this density, from Angren to
Tashkent, the haul will be a short movement of 119 km by branch line.
On no other line of Central Asia is the coal density likely to exceed
3 million tons in 1960.
(4) Krasnoyarskiy Kray.
The principal coal mining centers of Krasnoyarskiy
Kray are Kansk-Yeniseysk and Zaozerny on the main line and Nazarovo
and Chernogorsk on the Achinsk-Abakan branch. None of these places
produces high-quality bituminous coal, and three-fifths or more of pro-
duction is consumed within the kray itself, requiring short-haul ra-
ther than long-haul transport. The remainder of the coal moves to
nearby points in West Siberia. Coal traffic generated in 1955 amounted
to 6 million tons, and by 1960 it should.reach 13.5 million tons.
Because of low costs, a sizable expansion of strip
mining of coal in Krasnoyarskiy Kray is expected in the next few years,
with an estimated goal of producing 15 million tons by 1960. New steam
powerplants and industries in the kray will absorb most of this increase.
The remainder should move to West Siberia as at present.
(5) Irkutskaya Oblast.
The principal coal mining center of Irkutskaya
Oblast is Cheremkhovo, where 12.9 million tons of high-quality, low-
volatile bituminous coal were produced in 1955. 51 The main handicap
of the deposit is its remoteness from the major consuming centers of
the Urals and the European USSR.
In Irkutskaya Oblast a diverse, though compara-
tively small, concentration of industries is gradually shaping up. The
energy base, hitherto entirely coal, soon will be shifted more to hydro-
electric power and to petroleum coming by pipeline from the west, but
coal will still be needed for liquefaction and for the chemical indus-
try. Later, a steel plant is proposed for Tayshet, which should obtain
about half of its coal from the Irkutsk Basin and half from the Kuzbas.
The demand for Cheremkhovo coal for railroad and
industrial uses causes some of the output each year to move both east-
ward and westward from Irkutskaya Oblast. in 1955, 4.4 million tons
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are estimated to have moved westward, with about 1 million tons reach-
ing the Urals. Close to 2 million tons are believed to have moved
eastward, and the remainder of approximately 6 million tons was con-
sumed within the oblast.
It is estimated that Irkutskaya Oblast will pro-
duce 18 million tons of coal in 1960. Whereas the eastward movement
probably will decrease from the 2 million tons estimated in 1955, the
future of the westbound movement has not been made clear. A prelimi-
nary estimate of westbound movement of coal in 1960 would be about
5 million tons. The amount consumed in the general area along the
main line between Irkutsk to Tayshet then would be 10.5 million tons,
less whatever was shipped down the Angara River in barges (probably
about 250,000 tons). On the relatively short. eastbound movement,
many cars loaded with coal may return to the environs of Irkutsk with
loads of timber, cement, building materials, and steel, but the ma-
jority of cars loaded with coal and moving westward is likely to return
empty.
(6) Conclusion.
The requirement for moving coal constitutes the
principal element in planning rail transport in 1956-60 in Soviet Asia
between the Urals and Lake Baikal. Coal flows steadily the year
.around and necessitates heavy roadbed construction and the use of
powerful locomotives and strongly built cars. In spite of a partial
shift in the energy base in favor of petroleum, gas, and hydroelectric
power, production of coal will continue to increase, so that require-
ments for its transportation will remain predominant with the rail-
roads. The general westerly direction of flow and requirement for
open-top cars matched against movements of other commodities poses the
problem of a sizable two-way movement of empty cars which is most
difficult to eliminate.
b. Petroleum.
(1) West and East Siberia.
The importance of petroleum in an expanding indus-
trial economy is apparent from the fact that the USSR has for the past
thre e decades, and particularly since World War II, been engaged in
intensive prospecting for oil in all parts of the country. The result.
has been that petroleum production in the USSR has risen from 38 mil-
lion tons in 1950 to 71 million tons in 1955, with a goal of 135 mil-
lion tons for 1960. L2/ The most important discoveries have been in
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 the Ural-Volga field, which in 1955 produced 40.5 million tons, or
57.2 percent of petroleum in the USSR. Sakhalin Island, where for
many years an operation of modest extent has been conducted (950,000
tons produced in 1955), 53 remains the only producing area in all
Siberia. In spite of persistent efforts, the search for petroleum
in mainland Siberia so far has brought no results.
Considering the importance to the USSR, both
economically and strategically, of developing the Siberian areas,
Soviet authorities have found it necessary in recent years to ship
large quantities of petroleum eastward by rail. The volume was in-
creased as an element of Soviet policy in connection with the Korean
War and more recently the Suez crisis. These strategic requirements,
added to the growing needs of the Siberian economy, resulted in a
long-distance bulk movement involving more than 25 billion ton-
kilometers-in 1955? / Whereas this movement was in what Soviet
officials describe as the "empty direction" (that is, the direction
of lighter movement), the net result was to add a large number of
tank cars to the movement in both directions. On the return haul
from the east, very few tank cars could be loaded. Because of the
rapidly rising flow of petroleum to Siberia and Communist China, the
Soviet tank car park was at times under a severe strain to meet
scheduled requirements at loading points. Movements of ocean tankers
via the Suez Canal were limited by available vessels and regarded by
the USSR as uncertain in an.emergency.
Actual figures for movement of petroleum to
Siberia. never have been published, but the tonnage moving east from
Omsk in 1955 is estimated to have been between 6.5 million and 7.5
million tons. From Chinese Communist statements and from observa-
tions of shipments by sea to the.Far.East, it is estimated that Com-
munist China took delivery of about 1.1 million tons of petroleum
overland in 1955. Other published Soviet data indicate that about
3.4 million tons may have been destined for East Siberia and the
Soviet Far East. Net railroad unloadings of petroleum products in
Novosibirskaya Oblast and Irkutskaya Oblast in 1955 were 749,000 and
735,000 tons, respectively. 55 These figures may be contrasted
with the total of 1.3 million tons of petroleum products shipped to
Siberia in 1937. 56
Recognizing the necessity for the eastward ship-'
ment of petroleum, the inadequacy of waterways, and the increasing bur-
den on the railroads, the USSR under the Fifth Five Year Plan embarked
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on an ambitious program of pipeline construction. For the country as
a whole, about 5,000 km of petroleum trunk pipelines were laid. The
goals for 1960, originally set at 14,500 km of petroleum and 9,000 km
of as trunk pipelines, 57 now call for 10,000 km of petroleum and
16,400 km of gas trunk-pipelines. L8/ Of the petroleum pipelines,
6,800 km are to be placed in the Eastern Regions (see Table 10*), and
1,500 km of the gas pipelines will be laid in Central Asia. The in-
tention of the USSR is that by 1960 almost all crude petroleum will
be taken to refineries through pipelines. This network of pipelines,
together with a number of new and enlarged refineries, is intended to
extend considerably the fuel basis of the Soviet national economy and
in particular to improve the supply of fuel to industry and agricul-
ture in Siberia.
I The principal pipelines constructed in Siberia
under the Fifth Five Year Plan were a pipeline for crude petroleum
and another for petroleum products, the former originating at Tuymazy
and the latter at the refinery at Ufa and both terminating at Omsk.
The Soviet press has announced the capacity of the pipeline for crude
petroleum to be 7;2 million to 7.5 million tons per year. The pipe-
line petroleum products probably handles less tonnage than does
the pipeline for crude petroleum. Thus when all the pumps have been
installed, the maximum annual deliveries of these two pipelines to
OmskIwill be about 14.4 million tons.
I Under the Sixth Five Year Plan a 720-millimeter
(28-1/2-inch) pipeline for crude petroleum and a pipeline believed to
be 26 inches in diameter for petroleum products are being constructed
from ITuymazy and Ufa, respectively, through Omsk to Irkutsk. The two
new pipelines, when completed with pumping stations,' should be able to
provide, in addition to the 14.4 million tons which should already be
reaching Omsk, a supply of from 18 million to 25'million tons per
yearI-59 It is not supposed at the outset that all the pumping sta-
tions needed to reach this rate of flow will be installed, but it
should be noted that a maximum capacity of pipeline will exist to move
nearly 40 million tons of petroleum and its products per year into
Omsk and more than half of this amount on to Irkutsk. Together with
the new refineries, the network of pipelines should be sufficient to
effect a significant change in the Siberian economy. At the same time,
the rail lines and particularly the tank car park should be relieved.
The average length of haul in West Siberia and Kazakhstan should drop.
Many of the tank cars can be transferred to runs east of Irkutsk and
to major branch lines in areas not served by pipeline.
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Oil Pipelines. Constructed
in the Urals, West Siberia, and Northern Kazakhstan, 1951-55,
and Plan for the Eastern Regions, 1956-60 a/
Urals, West Siberia, and North
Kazakhstan
Oktyabr'skiy-Tuymazy-Ufa
227
Tuymazy-Chelyabinsk-Omsk
1,332
Shkapovo-Ishimbay
14o
Ufa-Chelyabinsk-Omssk (1)
1,130
Ufa-Chelyabinsk-Omsk (2)
38o f
Krasnokamsk-Perm'
31
Ust'-Kachka - Perm'
15
Tobanovo-Perm'
22
Eastern Regions
Kaltasy-Chekmagush-Ufa
9o
Ufa-Chelyabinsk-Omsk (2)
750
Tuymazy-Omsk
1)350
Omsk-Irkutsk
2,450
Omsk-Novosibirsk
800
Al'met'yevsk-Subkhankulovo
110
Al'met'yevsk-Perm'
446
Subkhankulovo-Shkapovo
94
Tatarsk-Pavlodar
4oo
Ishimbay-Orsk
310
a. 0
b. 3 km of pipeline constructed in 1951-55 and 750 km in 1956-60.
Pending the completion of the pipelines, however,
through 1960 the railroads may find themselves under a greater strain
than ever to move petroleum and its products because of the expanding
production of the Ural-Volga Field. Figures comparing the over-all
movement of petroleum by different forms of transport in the USSR during
 1955 with the movement of petroleum forecast by Soviet authorities
for 1960 are shown in Table 11. .
Movement of Petroleum and Its Products
by Different Modes of Transport in the USSR J
1955 and 1960 Plan
Million Ton-Kilometers
1960
1955
Plan
Railroad
101,600
146,000
Pipeline
13,700
83,000
Waterway
25,900 b
102,000
Total
141,200
331,000
a. L l/
Of this amount, 13.2 billion ton-kilometers were accom-
plished by inland waterways. The corresponding goal for 1960
has not been announced.
The requirement for rail transport is an increase
of major proportions above that for 1955 and 1956 and reflects the
pressure on all forms of transportation resulting from gains in oil
production. This requirement is offset partly by a planned increase
by 1960 of approximately one-third in the inventory of tank cars. To
carry out the-task of transportation, the average daily car movement
of the active tank car park must rise from 128 km in 1956 to 152 km
in 1960.E This is an assignment of a high order, even considering the
relative'ease and speed with which tank cars now may be loaded and
emptied. At present the 'pressure to supply and move tank cars must be
heavy, and frequently the cars are observed moving in solid through
trains between principal points.
With the demands of both eastern Siberia and Com-
munist China increasing and in the event that the new pipeline and
refinery combination at Angarsk should not be ready on schedule, there
might be a heavy burden of petroleum traffic temporarily on the main
line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad leading eastward from. the Novosi-
birsk area.. The refinery is regarded as more crucial because the
pipeline can be opened in stages,, each one shortening the remaining
rail haul and permitting a faster turnaround of cars. When both
This estimate assumes a 100-percent empty return movement of tank
cars.
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pipeline and refinery begin to operate; the drop in demand on the
railroads of East and West Siberia west of Irkutsk should be?notice-
able, whereas on those lines east of Irkutsk the demand may rise
appreciably.
The peculiar situation resulting from the com-
plete lack of oil discoveries in the vast space of mainland Siberia
and in most of Kazakhstan was stressed by the directive of the Twen-
tieth Party Congress calling for an increase of 65 to 70 percent in
prospecting in 1956-60 above that in 1950-55, with emphasis on "poorly
explored" parts of Siberia. Should a major strike be made, it could
serve to reduce .the demand for overland oil transport.
The only known petroleum deposit in Kazakhstan is
the Emba Field, which is situated in the extreme southwest of the re-
public directly north of the Caspian Sea. Annual production has run
at about 1.4 million tons for several years past, and no phenomenal in-
crease is expected. / bnba petroleum is handled easily by the pipe-
line running northward to Orsk in the South Urals and by rail to
Gur'yev.on the Caspian,Sea. -The refinery at Gur'yev also is supplied
annually with 600,000 tons of oil from loading points on the Caspian
Sea. L3/ The products of this refinery are shipped by rail to the
north. Kazakhstan was an importer in 1955 of nearly 3 million tons
of petroleum products, of which two-thirds are estimated to have come
from the Ural-Volga Field and one-third from Central Asia.
Petroleum, for a number of years a leading item
of railroad freight in Central Asia, had total loadings of 4.8 million
tons in 1955, an increase of 817,000 tons above that in.1950. Simultaneously, production of crude petroleum in Central Asia showed
about the same net growth in tonnage, rising from 3.4 million to 4.3
million tons. L5/ The principal producing area lies in Turkmen SSR
near the Caspian seaport of Krasnovodsk, where a refinery is located,
to which the nearby Nebit Dag, Kum Dag, and Cheleken Island Fields send
their crude petroleum. In the Fergana Valley to the east is another
smaller field, the output of which has not yet risen above the 1950
level of 1.3 million tons. Both fields are being expanded, and a pro-
duction goal of 7.1 million tons for Central Asia has been set for
1960..66 .
At:present the principal movement of petroleum oils
by rail takes place in,an.easterly direction away from Krasnovodsk,,the.
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site of the refinery. Owing to the limited capacity of this refinery,
.petroleum crosses the Caspian Sea in both directions, with products
arriving in Krasnovodsk and crude and residual fuel oil being shipped
out, possibly to Astrakhan' or Gur'yev. Net shipments of 434,000 tons
left Krasnovodsk by sea in 1955, and it is estimated that 2.5 mil-
lion tons were moved eastward by rail on the Ashkhabad System. Petro-
leum seems.-to have constituted about two-thirds of the eastbound traf-
fic on this line in 1957.
(4) East Siberia.
There are no oil fields in East Siberia. The com-
pletion by 1960 of the two large pipelines from the west will ease the
strain on rail transport and greatly increase the consumption poten-
tial of the area.
c. Wood and Timber.
Timber movement in Siberia is not only heavy, but much
of, it is interregional and of exceptionally long haul. East Siberia
is a major supplier of timber for the USSR, and, therefore, timber
must be considered as of prime importance in a rundown of demands of
the economy on transportation in the Eastern Regions.
Because of the sharp distinction between surplus and
deficit areas, the general pattern of timber movement in the Siberian
regions has become well established and in the foreseeable future is
not likely to undergo substantial change. A Soviet chart shows the
principal flow starting on. the main line of the Trans-Siberian Rail-
road-in Buryat-Mongol'skaya ASSR, taking on added weight.in Irkutskaya
Oblast both from the main line and from/ the Tayshet-Lena branch and
proceeding westward to Novosibirsk. / On the way, drop-offs are
made in construction and mining.areas, particularly in the Kuzbas. At
principal river crossing points, wood-is transferred from river to rail
and vice versa. At Novosibirsk the main flow of timber divides, with
the major portion moving via the Turkestan-Siberian route to the timber
deficit areas of eastern and southern Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The
remainder, after local usage, continues west to Omsk. On the main line
of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, timber continues on to the Urals and
points west and south-as it has for many years, except that at Petro-
pavlovsk a substantial share is diverted to the Karaganda mining.and
industrial district.
The total volume of timber traffic moving westward, from
Irkutskaya Oblast in 1955 is estimated to have been about 6.5 million
tons, consisting of loadings within the oblast'in excess of deliveries of
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4.8 million tons and shipments transiting the-oblast from Chita Oblast
and Buryat-Mongol'skaya ASSR of between 1.5 million and 2 million tons.
Cutting areas in Krasnoyarskiy Kray supplied a net addi-
tion of from 2.5 million to 3.5 million tons of timber, and the Tomsk
forests supplied 3 million tons more, so that at the point of peak move-
ment, probably between Tayga and Yurga, as much as 13 million tons may
have been hauled westward in 1955. From this stretch on, the density of
timber traffic declines. One million tons of the flow on the main line
of the Trans-Siberian Railroad is estimated to have gone into the Kuz-
bas, where it supplements local timber resources. In Novosibirskaya
Oblast, 640,000 tons were loaded, and 800,000 tons were unloaded, a net
loss to westbound movement of 160,000 tons.
Soviet figures for loadings and deliveries of timber
in Kazakhstan and Central Asia show net deficits of 4.8 million tons
for 1950 and 8.4 million tons for 1955. Railroad loadings of timber
in Kazakhstan in 1955 were only 400,000 tons and probably are rising
slightly, but terminations also should be rising above the 5.4 million
tons of the same year. River and sea movements of timber in Kazakhstan
and Central Asia in 1955 were less than 400,000 tons..
Wood probably is the commodity accounting for the
largest share of freight "imported" into Central Asia from other eco-
nomic regions of the USSR. The average length of haul of wood freight
terminated on the Tashkent System in 1952 was 3,525 km, whereas the
corresponding figure for the Ashkhabad System was 3,950 km, and there
is no reason to believe that the haul has been reduced in more recent
years with the growing volume of wood shipments. Net imports of wood
by rail into Central Asia amounted to 3.4 million tons'in 1955 and rose
the following year to more than 3.6 million tons. Although most of
the unsaved timber probably originated in West Siberia and East Siberia,
lumber shipments by rail from the European part of the USSR to Kazakh-
stan and Central Asia in 1954 totaled 604,000 tons. Among the
larger consumers of wood in.Central Asia are the Angren.and Fergana
Valley coal mines for pitprops and the Taskhent and Ashkhabad railroad
systems for railroad ties.
The heavy flow of timber from the forests to the con-
suming regions may be consolidated ultimately into a greater proportion
of lumber shipments and a lesser proportion of logs. Erection of more
sawmills at the cutting centers is a natural development and should
facilitate such consolidation, permitting the railroads to perform
their function more efficiently.
Timber has been a principal item of movement in a westerly
direction ever since the Trans-Siberian Railroad was built, but greater
 loads are contemplated in the future. This situation, together with
the growth of other commodity movements, will pose a question of line
capacity. The movement of timber is in the loaded direction of both
coal and grain and hence amplifies the imbalance on the high-density
stretch of line between Novosibirsk and Omsk. The hauling of indus-
trial timber from the Bratsk area will be heavy through 1960 because
of the necessity of clearing the storage reservoir before flooding.
The new railroads from Abalakhovo to Achinsk and from the lower
Angara forests to Reshety on the main line of the Trans-Siberian Rail-
road should bring in more timber. An increase of 60 percent ~ in log-
ging activity above that in 1955 is anticipated by 1960. In that
year the total increase in shipments of timber reaching Novosibirsk
could be from 4 million to.6 million tons after allowing for a pro-
portional absorption by the Kuzbas.
(1) West Siberia.
Iron.ore and ferrous metals first took on -signifi-
cance in West Siberian rail traffic in 1933 when the Kuznetsk Steel
Mill at Stalinsk started operations, using ore shipped a distance of
2,300 km from Magnitogorsk. The extension of rail lines southeastward
from Stalinsk a few years later in an attempt to tap nearby reserves
of iron ore in the Gornaya Shoriya area has been only partly success-
ful, inasmuch as the Soviet press indicates that in 1956 about 1.5 mil-
lion tons of ore still had to be shipped from Magnitogorsk eastward to
Stalinsk. According to Soviet railroad officials, in 1957 the higher
grade ore of the Magnitogorsk deposit was fast becoming depleted, and
other ore bodies in the Urals were inadequate to supply Magnitogorsk.
It was thus becoming urgent to make arrangements for obtaining a,
steady, long-term supply of ore from lower grade reserves which were
known to be situated in the area of Soviet Asia between the Urals and
Lake Baikal.
The largest workable deposits of lower grade ore
seem. to lie in the western part of Kazakhstan (Kustanayskaya Oblast)
and at several locations in East Siberia. With the reserves of coking
coal of the Kuzbas.calculated at 260 billion tons, the USSR apparently
has decided to "play it safe" on at least one of the major raw mate-
rials consumed in steel making by locating another large steel plant
near Stalinsk. This decision means that the iron ore will have to do
the traveling.
An excellent illustration of the tie-in between
the opening of.mineral deposits and the need for railroad construction
is the new 400-km Stalinsk-Abakan line, operating for the first time in
 1958 but with about 300 km m of branch, approach, and industrial line
remaining to be built. L3 Connecting with a branch line from Askiz
to Abaza, this line taps a body of iron ore with proved reserves of
83 million tons. Another branch will serve an iron ore deposit of
121 million tons proved reserves at Teysk, which is south of the
line at a point about half way between Stalinsk and Abakan. The
planned output of Abaza and Teysk is 5.6 million tons per year, all
of which will be available for the Kuznetsk Steel Mill when needed.
This ore would have to move westward over the new line. Existing
mines in'the Gornaya Shoriya area are expected to continue shipments,
which in the past have reached 5.2 million tons per year. 74 There
-
fore, the initial demand for ore from Abaza and Teysk should be mod-
erate. With an additional annual requirement of about 8.5 million
tons of ore when the West Siberian Steel Plant at Antonovka is opened
after 1960; the Stalinsk-Abakan line conceivably could be called on
to haul about 12 million tons of iron ore per year, plus several mil-
lion tons of coal, manganese ore, limestone, and building stone.
Although supplies of coal at railside are adequate for steam locomo-
tives, the 6,000-foot climb which these ores must make on the journey
to the mill probably will warrant an investment in diesel or electric
traction before many years have elapsed.
(2) East Siberia.
The ore supply for the Kuzbas may come for a time
in the future (a) from the Angara-Ilimsk Field (that is, the Korshunov-
skiy mine on the.Tayshet-Lena branch line); (b) from the Rudnogorsk
deposit, to which a rail connection will be constructed; or (c) from
the Sokolovsk-Sarbay deposit near Kustanay, in addition to Abaza,
Teysk, and the local mines. Later on, ores from the Lower Angara area
would move by a new rail line from Yeniseysk to the main line at
Achinsk, from where they would proceed either southward via the Abakan
branch and the new line or westward via Yurga to Stalinsk. The 653-km
Tayshet-Abakan line, which has just been started, no doubt will handle
a significant share of the westbound movement of Angara-Ilimsk ore.
In neither Krasnoyarskiy Kray nor Irkutskaya.Oblast
will there be a mill operating before 1960, when one is due for con-
struction at Tayshet. It is estimated, however, that several small
furnaces at heavy industrial plants consume as much as 150,000 tons of
scrap which would be shipped in by rail from the west.
With the gradual depletion of high-grade ore at
Magnitogorsk and with other steel mills in the Urals-facing future
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shortages of ore, the USSR now is undertaking a major project for the
mining and concentrating of the extensive iron ore deposits in Kus-
tanayskaya Oblast of northern Kazakhstan. The first unit among several
being planned is the Sokolovsk-Sarbay project, where stripping opera-
tions began in 1955.
The first movement of iron ore to the Urals oc-
curred in August 1957, when a?schedule for 275,000 tons for the remain-
der of the year was set up. The goal'for 1960 is 5.6 million tons of
concentrate, with expansion later to 9.1 million tons of processed ore.
In addition to Sokolovsk-Sarbay, the nearby Lisa-
kovsk deposit will be mined and concentrated beginning in 1961, and
theAyat deposit by 1970. These plans are intended to help makeup
for ore deficiencies in the Urals and provide for an increase of about
75 percent in the steel output in the Urals during the next 10 to 15
years.
Also, some concentrate from Kustanay may be sent .
eastward to a new plant planned for Barnaul and to the Kuzbas or south-
ward to Karaganda, inasmuch as empty gondolas will be moving in these
directions to pick up coal.
By 1960 a pattern of traffic in iron ore should be
well established between open-pit mines located near Atasu, a settle-
ment on the Zharyk-Dzhezkazgan branch of the Karaganda System and the
new Karagnada iron and steel plant at Solonichka near Temir-Tau. The
output of Atasu ore is expected to reach' approximately 2.5 million
tons by 1960 and 3.5 million tons by 1965, practically all of which is
planned for shipment to the new Karaganda steel plant.
'(1) West Siberia.
Since World War II, movement of ferrous metals in
West Siberia has been of a two-directional character. East of Novosi-
birsk, transportation of steel has been almost wholly eastbound, with
surplus scrap metal returning westward. The eastbound movement in
1955, which involved some 200,000 tons of steel for Communist China, p/
probably did not exceed 1.5 million tons. Because the empty direction
is eastward, it poses no special transportation problem. From Novosi-
birsk southward, it is probable that up to 500,000 tons of steel moved.
to points in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Shipments of steel from the
Kuzbas in excess of its own requirements and deliveries to the east and
south probably were between 500,000 and 1 million tons, undoubtedly
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moving westward over the high-density stretch of the main line of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad between Novosibirsk and Omsk in its loaded
direction. This traffic not only adds to an already heavy burden but
also crosses steel moving eastward from the Urals.
(2) Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In 1955, deliveries of ferrous metals, including
scrap, were 2.8 mi76/ llion tons, a figure which exceeded shipments by
1.2 million tons. Assuming that the entire 377,000 tons.of steel
produced in Kazakhstan and Central Asia plus an estimated 200,000 tons
of scrap were both loaded and delivered within this area, the maximum
inflow of finished steel would come to 2.2 million tons. The actual
inflow, an unknown quantity, would have been less than this tonnage by
the amount of any other local shipments. Such shipments, however, are
believed to have been small.
In East Siberia, no steel mills were operating in
1955. At heavy industrial plants, however, there are several small
furnaces which may have consumed as much as 100,000 tons of scrap me-
tal, most of which would be collected locally or shipped in by rail
from neighboring regions.
(4) Future Plans for the "Third" Steel Base.
For the future the longer term Soviet plan is to
create by 1970 a "third" steel base east of the Urals (the Ukraine
being first and the Urals second) capable of producing 20 million tons
of pig iron annually. The share of West Siberia in this production
would be 8 million tons; that of Kazakhstan, 4 million tons; and that
of East Siberia, 8 million tons. 77
The plan involves increases of
capacity at existing mills and the addition of new plants at Antonovka
and Karaganda. By 1960 the present Kuznetsk (Stalinsk) ~plant is ex-
pected to produce more than It million tons of steel, nA J and in the
same year the West Siberian (Antonovka) plant, with eventual capacity
of 3.5 million tons, should commence operations. Also, there may be
another new plant at Barnaul.
With the construction of the new Karaganda steel .
combine at Solonichki, steel output in Kazakhstan should rise to 4 mil-
lion tons annually. Distribution of this steel, after local require-
ments, should encompass the needs of the various mining and industrial
enterprises of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, the railroads, and the con-
struction industry. Shipment of up to 1 million tons of steel to the
west is a possibility.
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In Central Asia, expansion on a small scale of the
present plant is planned. In East Siberia, no new steel plants .are
contemplated before 1960. Thereafter, construction of mills is planned
at Achinsk and Tayshet.
In view of long-range Soviet plans for extension of
the steel industry eastward, it is difficult to forecast a future pat-
tern of shipments. The ultimate objective of this expansion program is
to develop the steel industry in every region so that, on the whole,
self-sufficient areas will be created and long hauls of finished steel
products eliminated. In the meantime, the predominantly eastward flow
of steel should continue. Steel from the Kuzbas, after satisfaction of
heavy local requirements, will be needed to contribute to the new ex-
pansion of plants in the more easterly areas. Because of differences
of products and of demands, lesser tonnages probably will continue to
move to points in the west and south. The flow of finished steel from
the Kuzbas to the west may be about 2 million to 3 million tons by 1960.
Grain is a perplexing traffic item because of the sea-
sonal character of its movement, the uncertainty of the size of the
harvest, and the fact that it must be collected and protected from
moisture before loading and during transit. In West Siberia and Kazakh-
stan the problem is accentuated by the scope and character of the new
lands reclamation program, which has?already brought about some confu-
sion in transport planning and operations.
The new lands program'got under way in 1954, with its
main belt being in the southern part of West Siberia and in northern
Kazakhstan. Although further increases in planted acreage are antici-
pated, the period of major expansion is now past, and net increases in
the total area actually planted to grain in the future should be rela-
tively small.
Soviet data on grain loadings in. Kazakhstan do give
some Indication of the impact of the new lands program on the railroads.
In 1956, grain loadings in Kazakh SSR, which previously had been running
on an annual level of between 2 million and 3 million tons, jumped to
10.6 million tons. Of this amount, at least 7.4 million tons were for
interregional delivery. 79 Unfortunately, parallel data are not avail-
able for West Siberia, but Novosibirskaya Oblast has reported, grain
loadings of 700,000 tons for 1953, rising to nearly 1.5 million tons in
1955, with a net outflow from the oblast of approximately 900,000 tons
* Except for nearly 4 million tons shipped in 1954.
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in the latter year. For the entire RSFSR a rise of 15.2 million tons
in shipments of grain by rail was reported from 1950 to 1955.
Between 1955 and 1956 the net imports of grain by
rail to Central Asia rose from the previous level of about 1.1 mil-
lion tons to 3.5 million tons. LO/ This traffic came from the new
lands area farther north by way of the main line and the.Mointy-Chu
division of the Turkistan-Siberian System.
The harvest was particularly good in 1956, and the rail-
roads were so taxed that they could not furnish sufficient cars to move
the entire crop. Moreover, planned expansion of facilities for grain
storage in the new lands had not been completed. As a result, between
15 to 20 percent of the crop either spoiled or deteriorated badly in
quality. Nevertheless, it is believed that between 15 million and 20 mil-
lion tons of grain actually were loaded in the new lands in that year.
Of this amount, about 7 million tons moved southward to points in Kazakh-
stan and Central Asia; from 1 million to 2 million tons are estimated
to have moved eastward out of Novosibirsk; the Kuzbas probably con-
sumed another million tons; and the remainder of between 6 million and
11 million tons moved out to the west. To facilitate this heavy move-
ment, the trains on the main line of the South Siberian Railroad east
of Akmolinsk during the harvest period were run in a westerly direction
only, with the empty cars routed back east over the main line of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad.
of grain for the USSR are to be up 30 percent above those of 1955* and
that increases on the systems of the Urals, Kazakh SSR, and Siberia
where the new lands are being cultivated will be especially sharp.
The increase in loadings in northern Kazakhstan. from the drought year
of 1955 to the bumper crop year of 1956 of 7.8 million tons probably
would signify that loadings in 1960 would be less than those in 1956.
From the point of view of the railroad, the degree to
which such tonnage constitutes a serious problem will depend on the
status of storage facilities in the producing areas, the progress made
in opening the .new rail lines which are now being built, and the availa-
bility of rolling stock scheduled for delivery between 1956 and 1960.
The principal hazard to planning will remain the uncertainty of the
size of each crop, which depends primarily on the variable weather of
northern Kazakhstan. The greatest technical problem in moving the
large amount of freight offered in good years is the short harvest sea-
son.
* Probably based on a goal for grain for the whole country in the plan
for 1960, which is regarded as overoptimistic.
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g. Cotton. -
A discussion of shipments of cotton and cottonseed on
the railroads of Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal is in
cluded for two main reasons: (1) about 87.5 percent of Soviet raw
cotton in 1955 was grown in Central Asia and southern Kazakhstan, and
(2) cotton is assuming new importance in trade of the Soviet Bloc be-
cause of large purchases of this commodity by the Bloc in the Middle
East.
Total Soviet production of raw cotton in 1955 was
3.9 million tons, 81 of which it is estimated that 3.2 million tons,
or about 83 percent, came from Central'Asia. L2/ Production for the
USSR in 1960 is forecast at approximately 4.7 million tons.
Total rail shipments of ginned cotton leaving Central
Asia in 1955 are estimated to have exceeded 1.2 million tons. Of
this quantity, about 3 percent probably was shipped northward by the
Turkestan-Siberian System to mills in Barnaul, Novosibirsk, and cities
farther east. Normally, 95 percent of the cotton would be expected to
move by the mainTashkent-Orenburg route to the Central Region of the
European USSR, where most of the Soviet textile industry is located.
The remainder moved via the Ashkhabad System to Krasnovodsk and the
Caucasus.
Shipments of cottonseed are mainly local in nature,
the seed being moved from gins to processing plants by rail and truck.
In 1955 the railroads' share of this traffic in Central Asia as pub-
lished amounted to about 1 million tons.
After processing, cottonseed oil is shipped from
Central Asia. Loadings in 1955 were less than 300,000 tons and for
1960 will similarly correspond to the size of the cotton crop. It is'
believed that cottonseed oil is shipped mainly to the European USSR
and hence, like the cotton, probably moved via the Tashkent-Orenburg
route.
There is a continuing program to promote'more intensi-
fied cultivation of cotton in Soviet Central Asia, and in time, with
improved irrigation and an increasing supply of mineral fertilizer,
the results should be successful. Traffic generated, however, would
be well within the handling capabilities of existing and planned rail-
roads in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
h. Mineral Construction Materials.
Rail movements of mineral construction materials
generally are characterized by short hauls. For the USSR in 1955 the
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 average length of haul of building materials of 334 km was less than
half the national average length of haul of 766 km for all freight.
Thus, even though loadings of mineral construction materials for the
years 1950, 1953, 1955, and 1956 were all close to 19 percent of
total loadings, ton-kilometer movements were consistently only about
8 percent of the total.
Separate figures on loadings of mineral construction
materials are not available for either West Siberia or East Siberia.
In Kazakhstan the relationship of loadings of mineral construction
materials to total loadings averaged 19.2 percent over a period of
4 recent years (1950 and 1954-56), a figure almost identical with the
national average. Loadings and deliveries of mineral construction
materials within Kazakh SSR for the same years were nearly in bal-
ance. A trend is evident, however, in that Kazakhstan, because of
the heavy investment program, has shifted from a "net exporter" of
mineral construction materials to a "net importer" of almost 1 mil-
lion tons.
In 1955, mineral construction materials accounted for'
20 percent of total originations and 17 percent of terminations in
Uzbek SSR. Actual loadings of such materials were 2.6 million tons,
and "net imports" 500,000 tons.
Mineral construction materials in 3 recent years
(1950 and 1954-55) averaged only 9 percent of total loadings in
Irkutskaya Oblast, but deliveries were 18 percent of the total, prob-
ably owing to the large amount of cement for the Angara Dam being
brought in from Timlyuy in Buryat-Mongol'skaya ASSR* and points far-
ther east.
The capacity of the cement industry in Soviet Asia
between the Urals and Lake Baikal is being increased sharply in
1956-60 from about 2.1 million tons to between 6.5 million and 8.5 mil-
lion tons, meaning increased rail loadings. Most of the cement plants
are located near large cities or consuming areas. There will be a
notable concentration of plants around Tashkent, leading to the con-
clusion that shipments of cement northward from this area have been
planned.
In the main, mineral construction materials,. such as
stone, sand, gravel, brick, and cement, move in a series of well-
dispersed short hauls forming radial patterns around cities. These
* A new cement plant with an annual capacity of 750,000 tons began
operations at Angarsk,in Irkutskaya Oblast in November 1957. L3/
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materials seldom have a significant impact on through main line move-
ments. Where rivers serve large cities, it is natural to try to bring
in mineral construction materials by barge, in view of the small invest-
ment required, the low cost of movement, and convenience in the open
season. In 19551 586,000 tons of mineral construction materials were
shipped on rivers in Kazakh SSR as against only 88,000 tons in 1950,
and 500,000 tons were unloaded. In Central Asia, very small quantities
of mineral construction materials moved by inland waterway. In Irkuts-
kaya Oblast, 433,000 tons were shipped, and 424,000 were unloaded. On
the Ob' River the turnover amounted to 426,000 tons within Novosibirskaya
Oblast, L5/ reflecting the short haul from points of origin to the city
of Novosibirsk. On the inland waterways of the USSR as a whole, ship-
ments of mineral construction materials rose under the Fourth and Fifth
Five Year Plans from 2.6 million tons, or 7 percent of total loadings
in 1946, to 30.8 million tons, or 22 percent of total loadings in
1955. 86
On-the railroads it is estimated that the proportion
of total loadings represented by mineral construction materials will
in the immediate future remain close to present levels. Should the
USSR undertake construction of radial highways near large cities, a
share of the present rail loadings eventually may be transferred to
trucks.
Miscellaneous freight includes manufactured products
of heavy industry, machinery and machine tools of all types, tractors,
vehicles, motors, chemicals, paints, nonferrous metals and minerals,
processed foods, consumer goods, and all other items not falling under
one of the major commodity headings. Loadings of miscellaneous freight
for 4 recent years (1950, 1953,,and 1955-56) have been consistently about
18.2 percent of total loadings in the USSR and in ton-kilometers have
been close to 24 percent, of the national total. Miscellaneous freight
in 1955 had an average length of haul of 952 km, which was 24 percent
higher than the national average for all freight.
Miscellaneous freight is characterized by its generally
lighter loading. per car compared with the major bulk commodities. On
the other hand, there is a better chance of loading back to area of
origin the type of cars most commonly used for miscellaneous freight
(boxcars and flat cars) than those customarily employed for the move-
ment of bulk commodities.
Figures for loadings of miscellaneous freight in West
Siberia are not available. In Kazakhstan, loadings for several recent
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years (1953-56).have been about 10 percent of total loadings, a pro-
portion which.is slightly more than half of the national average,
and deliveries have been higher, about 16 percent. In the last 3
years for which figures are available (1954-56), deliveries of mis-
cellaneous freight were higher than loadings. Thus movement of
miscellaneous freight ran counter to the flow of general commodity
movement, which was increasingly weighted on the side of "net ex-
ports." In Novosibirskaya Oblast, loadings of miscellaneous freight
as a percentage of total loadings are typical of the national level,
but deliveries have been far lower, about 11 percent. In Irkutskaya
Oblast, miscellaneous freight regularly accounts for 5.5 percent of
total loadings and 10 percent of deliveries. The low proportion of
loadings in Irkutskaya Oblast undoubtedly reflects the small amount
of manufacturing or food processing and the relatively heavy ship-
ments of coal and timber. The reason for the low regional propor-
tion of deliveries of miscellaneous freight compared with the national
share probably reflects the important position of the railroad and
certain. construction projects as consumers of heavy goods in the rela-
tively undeveloped economy of the oblast.
In Uzbek SSR the proportion of loadings of miscel-
laneous freight to total loadings has characteristically varied be-
tween 41 and 45 percent, reflecting the low level of production of
most of the major commodities and the loading of substantial tonnages
of mineral fertilizer and cotton. Deliveries of miscellaneous
freight as a percent of the total declined from 30 percent in 1954
to 25 percent in 1956, owing mainly to the rapid rise of grain de-
liveries, which,weight the major commodity totals. Actual quantities
of miscellaneous freight loaded and delivered were almost exactly the
same in 1956.
It must be remembered that the statistics of loadings
and deliveries which have been quoted do not include transit freight.
The amount of transit movement of miscellaneous freight would be par-
ticularly important in West Siberia, Krasnoyarskiy Kray, and Irkuts-
kaya Oblast, owing to the size of the economy to the east, but less
so in Kazakhstan. The through movement of miscellaneous freight
across West Siberia on the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad
in 1955 is estimated in a range of 4 million to 7 million tons in the
loaded direction of all traffic (westbound) and.of 6 million to
10 million tons in the empty direction (eastbound).* Thus the pre-
ponderance of miscellaneous freight moves in the direction contrary
to that of most of the bulk commodities.
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Projection of movement of miscellaneous freight on a
quantitative basis to 1960 can be done.only,by generally speculating
on the'likelihood of its holding its'proportionate share of total
loadings and movement. This it seems likely to do because of the in-
dustrial investment program extending to 1970, which 'calls for large
shipments of miscellaneous freight into the region, and because of the
expansion of the nonferrous metals and nonmetallic minerals industries
in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and East Siberia. Furthermore, there are
no indications that the transit movement to-and from the Far East will
decline from present levels. On the contrary, an expanded investment
program is planned for the regions east of Lake Baikal starting in
1961-65.
In case the general impression should be formed from the
movement of commodities that Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake
Baikal is uniformly a vast gathering place for raw materials to sup-
port the centers of the Soviet economy in the west, it would seem
useful to point out that the bulk of heavy goods moving westward origi-
nates in comparatively few, very active oblasts, with the remainder of
the area on balance a consumer.
The direction of flow of a number of the'major commodities
within and through Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal for
1955 is shown in Figure.4.* Coal, which has already been discussed,
is not included, nor are mineral construction materials, owing to the
quantity of short radial hauls leading into cities and major construc-
tion sites.
Loadings and deliveries by oblast throughout the area for
the year 1955 are shown in Table 12.*-* It will be seen immediately
that Kemerovskaya Oblast, which contains the Kuzbas, was by far the
greatest originator of freight and the greatest "net exporter."
Karagandinskaya Oblast was second; Irkutskaya Oblast, third; and Kras-
noyarskiy Kray, fourth. Most of the other oblasts were net importers
in that year, but on balance the region had a substantial net outflow.
In the next 10 years the opening of many mineral deposits, in a far
more scattered pattern than has existed hitherto, probably will change
the balance of flow in a number of oblasts. Then, too, there is the
relatively uncertain factor of the grain crop in the new lands.**-*
Inside back cover.
* Table 12 follows on p. 52.
-** Text continued on p. 54:
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Railroad Loadings, Deliveries, and Net Exports of Areas in Soviet Asia
Between the Urals and Lake Baikal a
1955
Loaded
Delivered
Net
Exports
Kemerovskaya Oblast
78,566
36,217
42,349
Karagandinskaya Oblast
27,867
9,190
18,677
Irkutskaya Oblast
21,938
12,568
9, 370
Krasnoyarskiy Kray
14,723
12,054
2,669
Aktyubinskaya Oblast
4,509
2,872
1,637
Pavlodarskaya Oblast
3,394
2,001
1,393
Turkmen SSR
6,783
6,352
431
Kirgiz SSR
3,300
3,200
.100
Kokchetavskaya Oblast
1,773
1,685
88
Gur'yevskaya Oblast
1,255
1,194
61
Surkhan-Dar'inskaya Oblast
922
1,002
-80
Tyumenskaya Oblast
2,575
2,68o
-105
Semipalatinskaya Oblast
2, boo
2,731.
-131
Kara-Kalpakskaya ASSR
25
202
-177
Namanganskaya Oblast
619
846
-227
Ferganskaya Oblast
2,146
2,446
-300
Kashka-Dar'inskaya Oblast
293
595
-302
Khorezmskaya Oblast
343
717
-374
Taldy-Kurganskaya Oblast
833
1,298
-465
Kzyl-Oxdinskaya Oblast
1,432
1,994
-562
Bukharskaya Oblast
565
1,138
-573
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Table 12
Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
1955
(Continued).
Loaded
Delivered
Net
Exports
Severo-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast
1,729
2,335
-606
Andizhariskaya Oblast
673
1,290
-617
Tomskaya Oblast
2,350
3,015
-665
Tadzhik SSR.
2,600
3,300
-700
Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast
742
1,448
-706
Dzhambulskaya Oblast
1,714
2,472
-758
Samarkandskaya Oblast
1,288
2,191
-903
Yuzhno-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast
1,902
3,104
-1,202
Vostochno-Kazakhstanskaya Oblast
1,750
3,276
-1,526
Alma-Atinskaya Oblast
735
2,417
-1,682
Tashkentskaya Oblast
6,184
7,948
-1,764
Akmolinskaya Oblast
3,696
6,839
-3,143
Kurganskaya Oblast
2,504
5,700
-3,196
Kustanayskaya Oblast
2,115
5,423
=3,308
Altayskiy Kra,
6,483
10,602
-4,119
Omskaya Oblast
2,994
8,088
-5,094
Novosibirskaya Oblast -
7,895
14,467
-6,572
223,815
186,897
36,918
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 Table 13* shows the relationship between production of coal
in the Kuzbas, shipments of coal from the Kuzbas to the Urals and west-
ward, and the net tonnage moving in the loaded, or westbound, direction
on the Trans-Siberian Railroad between Novosibirsk and Omsk. The pur-
pose is to show how sensitive is total movement of westbound freight on
the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad to mineral production in
the Kuzbas.
Table 14** contains a combination of loadings and deliv-
eries in 1955 for major economic regions, set up geographically from
east to west to. show the net accumulations and diminutions of imbal-
ances progressing in a westerly direction.
The logical result of the type and form of investment now
being made in the Eastern Regions is that Siberia will become a major
supplier of material needs for the economy of the west.XX In return,
the west would provide needed sustenance, petroleum, vehicles, and
capital goods. Eastbound traffic also would include food, weapons,
amm ition, and other logistical supplies for the large military estab-
lishment. which the USSR maintains in the Far East, as well as items for
international trade with Oriental countries.
The net balance in 1955 of 32.7 million tons of freight
moving westward does not provide a direct clue to the total interchange
with the regions west of the Urals, which was greatly in excess of this
amount.
Figure 5*-*x provides a comparison of loadings by year, for
rail and inland waterway, showing originations for the years 1950
through 1955 of Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal matched
against originations of the Eastern Regionst and of the USSR as a whole.
This chart shows that the proportion of total loadings in the east is
increasing gradually. This proportion should rise more rapidly in the
next few years.tt
Table 13 follows on p..55? `
* Table 14 follows on p..56.
** The nature of originations in Kazakhstan is changing, with the
net margin of "export tonnage" over "import tonnage," which has been
gradually increasing, almost doubling from 1955 to 1956. In 1955,
there were 7.8 million tons of loadings in excess of deliveries, and
in 1956, there was an excess of 14.4 million tons. 88
XXXX Following p. 54.
t Including the Urals but not the Volga.
tt Text continued on p. 57.
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,,,,,,Railroad Loadings
USSR: Total Railroad and River Transport Loadings
Compared with Similar Loadings in the "Eastern Regions"
and Soviet Asia, 1950-55
Soviet Asia between the Urals
and the Lake Baikal area
River Loadings
]Eastern Regions
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Table 13
Comparison of Production of Coal in the Kuzbas,
.Coal Shipped from the Kuzbas.to the Urals.and the West,
and the Average Density of All Westbound Freight
on the Novosibirsk-Omsk Stretch of the Trans-Siberian Railroad
Production of Coal
in the Kuzbas
Estimated Coal Tonnage
Shipped from the Kuzbas
to the Urals and the West
Average Density
of Westbound Traffic
on the Novosibirsk-Omsk Stretch
15,600
1950
38,526
14,791
28,500
1951
41,284
14,94o
N.A.
1952
.
,
44,.104
16,660
32,800
.
1953
..
46,519
19,591
37,800
1954
50,584
24, 977
42,200
1955
58,539
28,802
48,700
1956
66,200
N. A. -
52,200 ,.
66,000 to 70,000
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Table 14
Loadings and Deliveries in the Eastern Regions of the USSR a
1955
Region
Loadings
Deliveries
Excess
of Loadings
over Deliveries
Net Balance
Moving Westward
(Cumulative)
Far East (Region xIII)
32,255
35,860
-3,605
-3,605
East Siberia (Region XI)
49,598
38,907
+10,691
+7,086
West Siberia (Region.IX)
.103,367
80,769
+22,598
+29,684
Kazakhstan and Central
Asia (Region X)
83,787
81,506
+2,281
+31,965
Urals (Region VIII)
185,238
184,468
+770
+32,735
Total
454,245
421,510
+32,735
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The major cities slated for industrial development in Si-
beria will be Omsk; Novosibirsk, Stalinsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Irkutsk.
The eastern extremity of expected major increases. in loadings is the
region bordering Lake Baikal on the west. Long-range planning-pro-
vides for the opening of resources in the more easterly areas at a
later period.
3. Density.
Traffic density is the measure of utilization of the theo-
retical capacity of a rail line. In Soviet publications, density
generally is expressed in net ton-kilometers per kilometer per year.
The ability of the railroads of Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake
Baikal to meet the growing demands of the economy is determined not so
much by the loads acceptable to the originating branches'as by the
operational capabilities. of the principal segments of the trunk lines
and the central classification yards.
The Ministry of Railroads of the USSR has set standards of
maximum density in the controlling or loaded direction for various
types of rail line for 1965, as shown in the following tabulation 9/:
Electrified
single track 50 percent will have a density of up to 15 million tons*
in the loaded direction
20 percent will have a density of 15 million to 20 mil-
lion tons in the loaded direction
30.percent will have a density of more than 20 million
tons in the loaded direction
Electrified
double track 85 percent will have a density of up to 35 million tons
in the loaded direction
15 percent will have a density of more than 35 million
tons in the loaded direction
On the basis of known Soviet railroad operating practices
these traffic density objectives are realistic. Actual over-all
densities by railroad system for 1955 were provided in a recent Soviet
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 publication. 91 Table 15* shows the-average densities of net freight
movement in tariff ton-kilometers per kilometer for the railroad sys-
tems in the area under. examination.
The densities of the main lines of these systems; most of
which are heavy, are diluted in this type of table by the relative
length and density of traffic movement on the branches. Thus the
Tomsk System, which has several very dense traffic stretches, appears,
on account of the length of its branches, to be,a line of much less
density than the Omsk System, which.has but one long branch and a
short split portion of its. main line, the two arms of which can be
combined in analyzing through traffic.
The most intensely used lines in the area are (a) the
main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad between Omsk and Novosibirsk,
(b) the same line between Omsk and Chelyabinsk, (c) the main line
through Krasnoyarskiy Kray and Irkutskaya Oblast, and (d) the line of
the Karaganda railroad system between Akmolinsk and Karaganda. Largely
for the sake of stimulating competitive internal transport effort, the
USSR occasionally has made announcements relevant to the density of
these stretches.
The most heavily traveled stretch of all is the Omsk-
Novosibirsk sector, involving the Omsk and a short distance of the
Tomsk Systems (see Table 16**). 'Actual two-way movement on this
stretch has increased from 41 million tons in 1950 to an announced
74 million tons for 1956, and traffic is believed to have increased
more since that date. The goal of westbound freight movement alone
for 1960 has been set at from 66 million.to 70 million tons, of which
about 60 percent would originate in the Kuzbas.
After 1960 the USSR intends to handle further increases
in traffic from the Kuzbas to the west via the South Siberian Rail-
road from Artyshta to Barnaul (Chesnokovka), and from there over,
the new route from Barnaul to Omsk. In spite of the availability of
alternate routes, however, the basic problem,of the heavy load on the
main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad may be expected to continue
and may even increase because the latter has the most favorable route
across West Siberia and is far cheaper to operate than the parallel
lines to the south. L2/ The technological improvements introduced on
the Omsk-Novosibirsk line (electrification, signaling, traffic con-
trol, heavy trains, longer sidings, 6-axle cars, steady movement of
through trains, heavy rail,. rock ballast, and the like) have sub-
stantially increased the capacity of this line. The principal measure
* Table 15 follows on p. 59.
** Table 16 follows on p. 60.
 Table 15
Average Density of Net Freight Movements on Railroad Systems in Soviet Asia
Between the Urals and Lake Baikal a/
1955
System
Average Net Freight Density
(Thousand Ton-Kilometers
per Kilometer)
Length J
(Kilometers)
Net Freight Traffic
(Million Ton-Kilometers)
.
Omsk
37,601
1,730
65,050
South Ural
20,528
2,885
59,225
Tomsk
17,524
3,025
53,011
East Siberian
16,675
1,7o6
28,447
Karaganda
.. 8,932
3,000
26,797
Orenburg
8,219
3,107
25,535
Tashkent
7,371
2,463
18,156
Turkestan-
Siberian
6,830
3,582
24; 467
Ashkhabad
2,983
3,124
9,321
a. The national average freight density on the railroads of the USSR for 1955, including all
branches, was 8.1 million ton-kilometers per kilometer. The plan for 1960 calls for an
average freight density of 10.8 million ton-kilometers per kilometer.
b. The lengths of the systems presented in this table do not necessarily agree with the
cumulative lengths of the systems as shown in Appendix A. The differences, though slight,
are caused by dissimilarity of cutoff dates and by lack of specific information.
 Net Railroad Traffic Density on the Omsk-Novosibirsk Stretch
1940, 1950, 1952-56, and Forecasts for 1960 and 1965
a. 937
--
b. L4J
Balance.
c. L5/
d.
Million Ton-Kilometers per Kilometer
Total
Both Directions
Westbound
Eastbound
1940
23.7 ,
15.6 j
8.1 J
1950
41.1 a
28.5 J
12.6 J
1952
N.A.
32.8 bJ
N.A.
1953
N. A.
37.8
N. A.
1954
N.A.
42.2 b
N.A.
1955
69.0 d
48.7 b.
20.3
1956
74.0 a
N.A.
N.A.
1960 Forecast.
N.A.
66 to 70
N.A.
1965 Forecast
N.A.
66 to 70 b
N.A.
of relief in sight is the removal of the petroleum traffic and the accom-
panying return flow of empty tank cars, which should result in the next
year or two from the opening of new pipelines.
Equipment in general has been concentrated in sufficient
quantity to keep pace with traffic demands, and although excess capacity,
particularly in tank cars, has been small, the current program for pro-
curing equipment should offset increasing requirements for freight cars
and traction. The proposed density of 70 million net tons in the loaded
direction, however, is exactly twice the operational target of all but
a very few double-track electrified lines.*
Although the USSR has made no announcement about multiple
tracking any portion of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad,
it is believed that the prospects of dense traffic combined with.economy
* In the US the double-track trunk line of highest average density,
the Chesapeake and Ohio (Richmond and Allegheny Division), achieved
25 million ton-kilometers per kilometer in 1955, including both direc-
tions. The westbound movement was comparatively light. 96
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of construction. and operation will prove to be a convincing combina-
tion and that on certain sectors, simultaneously with installation of
the heavy rail, additional through tracks with frequent crossovers
to the center tracks, will gradually appear. Electrification and
ballasting of these tracks may not follow immediately, but eventually
additions and modifications to existing signaling will have to be in-
stalled to secure optimum use of the trackage. -
West of Omsk, additional through capacity is afforded by
the railroad from Kulomzino to Sverdlovsk, which is presently being
double tracked. At Petropavlovsk, however, traffic from Karaganda to
the Urals joins the westbound flow which again becomes dense as far
as Kurgan, from which a second line leads to Sverdlovsk. Thus the
sector of greatest density is the portion of line between Petro-
pavlovsk and Kurgan. Average density of the entire Omsk-Chelyabinsk
line was reported as 50 million ton-kilometers per kilometer in 1956,
which includes traffic in both directions.
Measures being taken to increase the ability of the Omsk
and South Urals Systems to handle the increase in transit movement in-
clude (a) electrification of the main line; (b) installation of im-
proved automatic block signals; (c) construction of the new line from
Peski to Kurgan to provide.an alternative to the Petropavlovsk-Kurgan
sector for coal traffic from Karagandinskaya Oblast; (d) reconstruc-
tion of the roadbed with new ties, heavy rails, and crushed stone
ballast; (e) lengthening of station (passing) tracks; (f) equipping
stations with centrally controlled electric switches; and (g) acceler-
ating movement of trains to speeds of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour. 97/
Certain sections of the Krasnoyarsk and East Siberian
Systems will have by 1960 a freight density in both directions of
48 million to 50 million ton-kilometers per kilometer. In December
1957, Dmitriyev, deputy chairman of the Irkutsk Sovnarkhoz, stated
that the East Siberian and Krasnoyarsk Systems are not now able to
handle all of the goods (mainly coal, timber, and ores) produced in
the portion of Irkutskaya Oblast west of Lake Baikal and that elec-
trification cannot come too soon if a solution is to be afforded. He
further asked for accelerated construction on the Tayshet-Abakan
line, for more and longer passing tracks on the Tayshet-Lena line,
and for electrification of the latter.
The problem of capacity on the Karaganda-Akmolinsk line
appears to have been solved temporarily with dieselization. A rough
estimate of loaded directional movement on this line is 22 million
tons for 1955, with an increase.to more than 35 million tons planned
for 1960. Electrification of the line has been mentioned, but the
project was not included in the original Sixth Five Year Plan (1956-60).
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The announced program for construction and modernization
of the railroads in the area discussed in this report seems sufficient
to keep pace with projected densities on the busiest stretches of
main line, except for the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad
between Omsk and Novosibirsk, where additional trackage may have to
be provided.
B. Demands of Transportation on the Economy.
The accomplishment,of the transportation plan for 1960 and
specifically the movement of the major bulk commodities stemming from
production targets and distribution patterns oblige the railroads in
turn to make substantial demands on the national economy, both for
new capital investments and for operational inputs.
Capital investment in railroads of the USSR since World
War II have risen sharply above the prewar period and are still rising.
Under the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55) the Eastern Regions received
a greater share of investment outlay than they had under the Fourth
Five Year Flan (1946-50), when restoration of lines in the European
USSR had priority of investment. In 1956-60, there was a further in-
crease in funds for the east.
A breakdown of capital investment in railroads in the
USSR as a whole by different periods of time is shown in Table 17.*
The Soviet press reported that in 1956-60 about half of the over-all
capital investment in all branches of the economy, including'transpor-
tation, was to be directed to the Eastern Regions. Nationwide invest-
ments from 1956 to 1960 would be 67 percent higher than those between
1951 and 1955, whereas the amounts allocated to West Siberia, Kazakhstan,
and East Siberia represent increases of 150 percent, 170 percent, and
180 percent,. respectively, above their counterparts in 1951-55. 98
On the basis of numerous announced projects, it appears that the
regional investment pattern for the railroads will parallel that of
the regional economy as a whole.
Capital investments in railroads in the USSR include
numerous items which in other countries would not ordinarily be re-
garded as investments in railroad enterprises; such as workers'
housing, buildings for social and cultural purposes (including schools,
hospitals; and auditoriums), public utilities for railroad towns, and
industries in some localities needed for the support of the railroad
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Investment ?in-Railroads of the USSR
by Selected Periods
Billion 1957 Rubles
Period
Total
Investment
Yearly Average
Investment
1923-40
69.6
5.4
1946-50
35.4 J
7.1
1951-55
. 45.0 c
9.0
1956-60 (Plan)
70.0 cc
14.0
a. Calculated as 150 billion rubles less investments for
1946-50 and 1951-55. 99
b. 100
c. 101
systems or their employees.. Viewed in any light,. however, the current
rate of investment in Soviet railroads represents a major phase of ex-
pansion in transport. - '
In the 1960's, investment at'an even more;?;rapid rate appears
to be contemplated, judging from the large amount ofeiectrificatlon
and new construction which.has been mentioned in various Soviet arti-
cles. 'Planned investment figures for 1959-65 have been announced as
110. billion to 115 billion rubles, which would mean an average rate of
16 billion rubles per year. It is safe to conclude that,.in line with
traffic demands, investment will be concentrated largely on the techni-
cal reequipment of the railroads,-the introduction of electric and
diesel traction, and the extension and development of the railroad net-
work in the Urals, Siberian, Kazakhstan, and Volga Regions. Top pri-
ority will continue to be assigned to the electrification and moderni-
zation of the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. In oil pipeline
construction, equivalent priority is given to the completion of pipe-
lines to Omsk.-Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk.
In 1951-55 the investment in new line construction and
double-tracking of railroads in.Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake,
Baikal was approximately 5.7 billion rubles. Estimated cost of this.
type of work for 1956-60, however,. is 8.2 billion.rubles. An addi-
tional investment, amounting to approximately 853 million rubles, was_..
made in 1951-55 for electrification of lines in Soviet Asia between
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 the Urals and Lake Baikal. In 1956-60, however, it is estimated that
electrification of lines in this area will require an investment of
2 billion rubles. Investment for rolling stock assignable to Soviet
Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal is estimated at more than
8.8 billion rubles. The estimated cost of pipeline construction is
5.1 billion rubles.* Thus total functional investment in railroads
and pipelines should amount to about 24 billion rubles for this area
during.1956-60.
Rolling stock or movable equipment is slated to be built
in the USSR on a large scale between 1956 and 1960. There are also
imports from the European Satellites, which probably are included in
the plan of railroad "procurement" or "acquisition." For the program
of electrification and dieselization, 4,500 new diesel locomotive
units** and 2,000 new electric locomotives are required. The plan
for acquisition of cars consists of 255,000 freight cars and 18,600
passenger cars. 102 In the last 5 years, by way of comparison, US
railroads have acquired 6,816 diesel locomotives, 280,000 freight
cars, and 1,763 passenger cars.**-*
Present indications are that none of the targets for ac-
quisition of equipment will be met completely by the end of 1960
(unless foreign purchases are soon stepped up), but the shortfalls
should not be of major proportions. In the case of motive power, the
steam locomotive park can be continued in operation to the extent
necessary to offset tardy deliveries of the newer types of locomotives.
Based on.estimated procurement for the country for 1956-60,
the quantities of new equipment which may be attributable to Soviet
Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal because of planned power con-
versions and traffic movement, and their approximate value, are shorn
in Table 18.**** .
* Methodology for these estimates will be found in Appendix B,
P?3.
Stated in Bulganin's speech to the Twentieth Party Congress as
2,250 two-section diesel locomotives.
**3E The outlook is for far lower US purchase rates in the next few
years. The US is just completing conversion from steam to diesel
power, whereas the USSR is still in its initial phase. US rail traf-
fic, moreover, is suffering from competition and other economic pres-
sures.
**** Table 18 follows on p. 65.
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New Equipment Attributable to Soviet Asia
Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
1956-60
Type of Equipment
Units
Value
(Million Rubles)
Diesel locomotives
2,382
3,811
Electric locomotives.
643
1,287
Passenger cars
2,525
538
Freight cars
63,884
3,194
2. Inputs.
a. Capital Inputs.
Within the realm of investments in railroads and pipe-
lines are capital inputs of ferrous metals, copper, wooden ties, and
ballast, which amount to a visible share of the national production to-
tals of these commodities for each 5-year period. Table 19* represents
the results of a calculation of such inputs, based on Soviet statements,
for only the railroads and pipelines of the area under study, con-
trasted with actual and planned production totals of each commodity for
the entire country. Allowance is not made in Table 19 for a possible
partial conversion from wooden to prestressed reinforced concrete ties,
because the latter are regarded as being still in the experimental
stage. The USSR, nevertheless, is constructing a number of casting
plants to produce such ties, especially in dry, treeless areas. Should
the outcome be successful, it could have a strong impact on investment
in right-of-way and line maintenance costs subsequent to 1960.
b. Operational Inputs.
In each of the 5-year periods under discussion, the
railroads of Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal will have
consumed large quantities of fuel (coal, fuel oil,. and diesel fuel) in
addition to electric power. The amount of petroleum fuels, coal, and**
* Table 19 follows on p. 66.
** Text continued on p. 68.
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 Amount, Value, and Share of National Production
of Selected Basic Materials Required in Construction
of Railroads and Pipelines
in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake'Baikal
1956-60
Material
Capital Inputs
(Thousand Metric
Tons)
Value
(Million
Rubles)
Percentage
of National
Production
Ferrous metals
Railroads
Rail
3,500 J
2,279 J
Line structure
350 J
232
Brake shoes
Railroad equipment
1,74
5 1
95 h
1,105
Total
5,741 2/
3,711
Oil pipelines
1)500 J
1,451 . J
.Total
7,241
5,162
3.4
Copper and alloys
Electrification
18.6 1]
141 m/
Locomotives and subs
tations 6.6 1
50 m
Maintenance
0.9 1]
7 ,
Total
26.1
198
1.1
Wooden ties (only)
3,750 ,
1,'856 ,
25
Ballast, crushed rock
(thousand cubic meters) 22,000 a/
330 J
25
Total value
7,546
a. Estimated.at one-quarter of the total laid.
b. Value based on price of P-50 rail at 651 rubles per metric ton as
of 1 July 1955 and on a ruble-dollar ratio of 5.8 rubles to US $1. 103
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Table 19
Amount, Value, and Share of National Production
of Selected Basic Materials Required in Construction
of Railroads and Pipelines
in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
1956-60
(Continued)
c. Estimated at 10 percent of figure for rail and accessories.
d. Value based on railroad right-of-way accessories at 664 rubles per
metric ton as of 1 July 1955 and on a ruble-dollar ratio of 5.0 rubles
to US $1.,104
e." Estimated at 29.2 percent of total based on the relationship of
freight traffic in this area to over-all Soviet freight traffic in
1955. 105 .
f. Value based on an estimated price of 650 rubles per metric ton.
This price is approximately the same as.of 1 July 1955 for most of the
ferrous metals used in railroad construction and rolling stock. 106
g. Estimated at 34.9 percent, the relationship of utilization of new
equipment in this area to the total.
h. Value based on the average price per metric ton of channel and
plate steel as of July 1955, when the ruble-dollar ratios for the prices
of these items were 5.7 and 5.4 rubles to US $1, respectively. 107
i. The magnitude of total ferrous metal inputs may be somewhat offset
by the return to the economy for other uses of scrap metal resulting
from-the removal of side buffers from rolling stock.
j. Length of pipelines times published weight factors for announced
and estimated sizes of pipe. 108
k. Value based on the price of pipe steel at 967 rubles per metric ton
as of 1 July 1955 and on a ruble-dollar ratio of 6.2 rubles to US
$1. 109
1. Estimated at 37.2 percent of total, based.on relationship of elec-
trification in this area, 1956-60, to total Soviet electrification in
the same period.
M. Value based on price of 7,600 rubles per metric ton of copper wire
as of 1 July 1955. This price is an estimate based on the price per
metric ton of cathode copper (6,600 rubles, 1 July 1955) plus the value
added by the process of wire manufactured amounting to 15 percent above
the price of cathode copper, according to the. judgment of the analyst.
n. Value based on an estimated price for wooden ties of 495 rubles per
metric ton as of 1 July 1955.? This price was estimated on the basis of
the price of 33 rubles per tie ILO/ and 15 ties per metric ton.
o. Value based on the price of 15 rubles per cubic meter for gravel as
of 1 July 1955. 111
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electric power consumed by the railroads of Soviet Asia between the
Urals and Lake Baikal for the 1956-60 period, the share of total na-
tional production, and the value of each are shown in Table 20.
Amount, Value, and Share of National Production
of Basic Sources of Power Estimated for Operation of Railroads
in Soviet Asia Between the Urals and Lake Baikal
1956-60
/
Percentage
o
Inputs a
(Thousand Metric Tons)
Value
(Milliop Rubles)
of National
Production
Diesel fuel
3,500
819 Y.
Y
3.0
el
F
il
200
.
0
0
u
o
Coal
5,
66,000,
1,
97 c
5,484
3.
2.7
Electric power
(million
kilowatt-hours)
22,441
.2,738 e
1.9
a. Estimated.
b. Value based on a price of 234 rubles per metric ton as of 1 July
1955. (An appropriate ruble-dollar ratio is 8.8 rubles to US $1.)
c. Value based on a price of 211 rubles per metric ton as of 1 July
1955. (An appropriate ruble-dollar ratio is 13.3 rubles to US $1.)
d. Value based on a price of 83.09 rubles per metric ton as of 1 July
1955. (An appropriate ruble-dollar ratio is 18.8 rubles to US $1.)
e. Value based on a price of 12.2 kopeks per kilowatt-hour as of
1 July 1955. (An appropriate ruble-dollar ratio is 13.3 rubles to US
The input of diesel fuel, fuel oil, and electric power
is expected to increase during 1956-60, whereas consumption of coal
should decline. Consumption of diesel fuel in Kazakhstan and Central
Asia (Region X) is rising rapidly, and by 1960 this area should be
operating almost entirely on oil fuels. Electric traction is not ex-
pected to come into use in Krasnoyarskiy Kray until the latter part of
1960.
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For capital construction, an estimated contingent of
81,000 workers and employees would be required to complete the average
annual increment of lines in Soviet Asia between the Urals and Take
.Baikal from 1951 through 1960. 112 By comparison, a total contingent
of only 92,000 construction workers is estimated to be required to in-
stall the total average annual kilometrage of new line in the entire
USSR between 1951 and 1960. 113 The estimated contingent of workers
required to install the average annual kilometrage of new electric
catenary construction in this area between 1951 and 1960 is about
20,000 persons, whereas the comparable estimate for the entire USSR
is 61,000 workers. The greater emphasis then on construction of new
lines in this area rather than on electrification of existing lines,'
in contrast with the performance of the nation as a whole, may be
readily seen.
It is estimated that 500,000 workers and employees, or
about 25 percent)of the total operational labor force of the railroads
in the USSR in 1955, were engaged in the operation of railroads in
Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal. 114 Labor productivity
on these systems ranged from 47 percent of the national average on the
Ashkhabad System to 155 percent on the highly efficient and intensely
utilized Omsk System. Both the level of traffic and the productivity
of labor in this area are expected to increase by 1960 somewhat in ex-
cess of the over-all national increase because of the regional tempo
of development.
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LENGTH OF RAIL LINES OPENED TO TRAFFIC IN SOVIET ASIA BETWEEN THE URALS AND LAKE BAIKAL AS OF 1 JANUARY 1958
Krasnoyarskiy Kray
West Siberia (Re
ion IX)
Kazakhstan (Region Xa)
Central Asia (Region Xb)
and Irkutskaya Oblast
(East Siberia, Region XI)
g
South
Turkestan-
South
Turkestan-
i
Turkestan-
'
dl
k
S
l
U
k
O
sk
T
Siberian
Krasno
arsk
Total
Urals
Karaganda
Orenburg
Omsk
Siberian
Tashkent
Total
Ashkhabad
Tashkent
Siberian
Total
East Siberian
Krasnoyarsk
Total
Grand Total
ver
ovs
Period of Construction
ra
s
ms
om
y
Built by:
Czarist government
Before 1918
182 112
3,718
166
0
1,115
150
120
836
2,387
1,977
1,o14
0
21991
1,150
901
2,051
11,147
Communist regime
28
28
8
94o
1918-50
0
237
189
860
o
1,386
176
,
Under Fifth Five
Year Plan (1951-55)
0
93
0
543
0
636
0
1,143
3,390
Under Sixth Five
Year Plan (1956-60)
(original)
0
0
486
270
0 150
906
655
1,204 J
280
135
308 J
170
2,752
167
22
0
,189
953
0
953
4,800
66
4
282 262
6
646
997
263
4
2
486
285
296
3
1
035
12
362
3,325
1,620
280
5,225
2,988
1,056
4,044
28,277
Total
175
3
2,121
3
3,1
,
,
,
,
,
,
40
4o
120
66
186
226
66
2
4
282 262
646
6
997
4
263
2
486
285
296
3
035
1
12,362
3,285.
1,620
280
5,185
2,868
990
3,858
28,051
Grand total
175
3
,121
3
3,1
,
,
,
,
,
a. Including the 659-km line from Solonichki Karaganda to- Aktogay not specifically announced for completion in the. original goals of the Sixth Five. Year Plan but believed to be possible of accomplishment in connection with the Druzhba
line.
b. Druzhba line to the Chinese border, to connect with the new Trans-Sinkiang Railroad, which is under construction.
71 -
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APPENDIX B
METHODOLOGY
The procedure consisted of sifting out and combining in an
orderly manner a large number of factual statements and statistics
published in the Soviet press and in railroad and pipeline technical
journals, radiobroadcasts, and official handbooks of the USSR and its
subdivisions pertinent to this report. Textbooks by prominent experts
on transportation and publications of the Ministry of Railroads of the
USSR were consulted for numerous facts and figures. Wherever possible,
corroboration was sought, and in cases of contrary information the
answer generally was obtained by comparing the most recent sources.
The figures making up the tables were gathered from many channels,
but nearly all could be checked back indirectly to official Soviet
sources. Estimates of imported equipment for years omitted in the
publications were derived by interpolation between years for which
data were announced. Traffic densities on certain stretches of main
line were calculated on the basis of direct observations as a means
of checking on Soviet statements, with results in. close enough accord
to evidence substantiation.
Investment costs were obtained by applying announced Soviet costs
per kilometer for new construction, according to type of terrain, to
the stretches built and planned for single and double track. Double
tracking of existing single-track line was estimated to cost three-
eighths of the cost of a new single-track line in equivalent terrain,
this fraction based on a Soviet statement. Electrification was esti-
mated on the basis of double-track kilometrage with different values
for the Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55) and the original Sixth Five
Year Plan (1956-60), both given by the USSR. The figure for the lat-
ter period was about three-quarters that of the former owing to im-
proved logistics and training of personnel. New cars attributable
to movement within Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal were
assumed to relate to total procurement in a manner corresponding to
the relative share of the area to the total traffic movement (ton-.
kilometers) of the USSR for 1955. The share of new locomotives at-
tributable to Soviet Asia between the Urals and Lake Baikal was worked
out in a more detailed pattern to reflect the priority in electrifi-
cation and dieselization assigned to this area. Investment costs of
new pipelines were computed on the basis of a Soviet statement giving
the relationship of construction costs of pipelines to costs of rail-
road construction and making allowance for the difficult conditions
of subsoil and terrain encountered in Siberia.
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50X1
;50X1
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 SECRET
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