Passenger Transportation.
In the air harbor of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a comprehensive check of readiness for work in the autumn-winter period was carried out. Every year, before the onset of cold weather at the airport, the main emphasis is on the thorough preparation and repair of all machinery and equipment.
One of the important stages of checking the readiness of the enterprise for the winter is a review of the fleet. Equipment is traditionally checked in two stages: on the first day, the airport control commission for winter navigation inspects special vehicles of the airfield service - they are checked for readiness for snow removal. In the second, fire engines from the emergency service are checked. In just two days, the commission examined and checked 70 pieces of equipment.
Rotors, brushes, reagent sprayers, tractors, loaders, and fire trucks must ride, make the right sounds, be the right color, and match technical specifications: lower, raise, scrape and spray. In a word, to be as useful as possible for the airport. The result of this check is encouraging - the technical park of the airport is quite ready to work in winter.
We checked everything - from lighting and sound equipment to towing and specific equipment: like knives and brushes. All special equipment is ready for operation in winter, all vehicles have been serviced. The audit revealed minor shortcomings, but they were eliminated in working order within a few days, - said Oleg Lemaykin, head of the special transport service at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport.
A couple of months before the start of winter, experts carefully examine the airfield itself. In addition to technology, the commission checks all equipment, buildings and structures. They also replenish stocks at the warehouse of the air harbor - they purchase chemical reagents to combat ice on the runway, apron and taxiways. Work is also underway with the airport staff - the staff refreshes the memory of the "normative", re-instructs and passes tests.
Such an approach at the enterprise is a vital necessity. It is thanks to the integrated work that it is possible to control the readiness of the airport departments to respond in emergency situations, as well as to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the air harbor in harsh conditions Sakhalin winter.
One of the stages of preparation for the operation of the airport in the cold was the exercise conducted by the emergency rescue team, services and interacting units of the airport. Rescuers and allied operators again worked out in practice a warning and response system in cases of emergency in the area of the airport.
In parallel with the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport, other branches of the air harbor located on the island were actively preparing for the autumn-winter period.
According to the head of the Shakhtersk airport, Dmitry Son, preparations for the open water season this year went on as usual. The multi-stage process, which ended in mid-September, began with the theoretical and practical training of staff. Particular attention was paid to special equipment - all 12 special vehicles are ready for work in winter. Among them are four units of snowplows transferred from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Also in the plans before the first snow is to repair the runway, as well as to upgrade the water supply. The airport fence will also be replaced - a new fence will be installed around the entire perimeter. It will appear before the end of winter. The reconstruction of the airfield is carried out at the expense of subsidies from the regional budget.
Prepared for winter in Nogliki and Okha. First of all, the specialists of the branches carried out an audit of the equipment, checked the condition airfield, purchased anti-icing liquids for aircraft treatment and anti-crystallization liquids for aviation fuel additives. We also focused on the airport facilities: we prepared buildings, electricity and heat supply systems for the cold weather. The plans include the replacement of water conduits at the facilities.
Photo by the Sakhalin Open Sky community, Sergey Krasnoukhov and the airport press center
On the whole, the training went well. In Okha, the current repair of the runway was completed, boiler rooms were prepared at both airports. True, if in Noliki today the boiler houses are completely ready, then in Okha the pressure testing of the system is still underway. The launch will take place early next week. The staff has also been trained - all the necessary tests have been carried out, - said Petr Tarasyuk, director of the Okha Airport and Nogliki Airport branches.
The leaders of small airports note that joining the main air harbor of the island had a positive impact on approaches to work. Among the main changes is the increase in requirements, including the level of flight safety. Control from the parent airport is much stricter than it was before joining. Small airports have to comply - to show a higher level of training.
To date, preparations for the autumn-winter period at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport JSC have been fully completed, Sakh.com news agency reports with reference to the press center of the enterprise.
The construction of a bridge between the mainland and Sakhalin is being discussed as if the decision had already been made. Meanwhile, President Putin on July 24 this year, at a meeting with the governor of the Sakhalin Territory, once again emphasized that he instructed the government to work out the issue of building a bridge - but "we need to look at the economy." And yet the project is included in the Russian Railways investment program until 2025; the approximate cost was named - 540.3 billion rubles; it is assumed that by the end of this year all the necessary documentation for construction will be ready, and it will begin in 2021.
The idea of a transport connection between Sakhalin and the mainland did not come up yesterday. Russia has repeatedly tried to get close to its implementation, and each time the grandiose project ended in nothing.
Why did this happen? Will it be possible to realize this idea now? And most importantly, is the game worth the candle?
It is generally accepted that for the first time plans to connect Sakhalin with the mainland appeared in the middle of the last century and that Comrade Stalin personally initiated the construction of a tunnel to the island. In fact, such a possibility was discussed much earlier, at the end of the 19th century.
BRIDGE TO HISTORY
The newspaper Sovetsky Sakhalin 10 years ago published excerpts from the correspondence of the initiator of the construction of the dam to the island - Zemstvo head of the 8th section of the Starobelsky district of the Kharkov province Vladimir Butkov - with high-ranking officials who did not appreciate his plan.
December 21, 1891. Vladimir Butkov sent a note to the Governor-General of the Amur region, Baron Corfu, “Opportunities for improving the climate of our coast Sea of Japan". Butkov uses the word “climate” in the most direct sense: in his calculations, he argues not about geopolitics, but exclusively about weather conditions. In his opinion, their improvement would have a positive impact on life east coast Russia and in various other respects: economic, military and demographic.
“The climate of the coast would improve significantly if it were possible, by damming the Sakhalin Strait south of the Amur River estuary, to divert the cold firth current to the north into the Sea of Okhotsk and thus save the coast from the harmful effects of this cold current,” writes Butkov. - Then the warm vapors of the Sea of Japan, brought by the easterly winds prevailing in summer, would not produce such deadly cold fogs on the shores of the Ussuri Territory, which would result in clearer summer months and sunny days, the earth would warm up more and all the conditions of life and agricultural activity on the coast would change significantly for the better, which would be the most conducive to the settlement of this region, which is so necessary for us, especially in naval relations.
Vladimir Butkov was sure that this project was inexpensive and easy to implement from a technical point of view. Here, as we would now say, is the feasibility study of the project from Butkov: “Such an enterprise, with the current advances in technology, is quite feasible, but it will not cost too much if the hands of convicts are put to it. The Sakhalin Strait along the line from Cape Lazarev to Cape Pogibi, having barely 10 versts of width and the most deep place 8 fathoms of depth; while the Strait of Belle-Ile, which separates the island of Newfoundland from the mainland and is 17 kilometers wide and 50 meters (about 25 sazhens) deep, American engineers propose to fill it with the same goal - diverting the cold current from the American shores, and calculate the cost of this enterprise 40 million dollars. If we assume that the width of the upper bed of the dam will be four fathoms, or 28 feet, the average depth of the Sakhalin Strait on the intended line is 5.5 fathoms, or 38.5 feet, including the tidal wave, which in the Sakhalin Strait reaches a height of 6 feet , counting the showcase of the strait at 10 versts; or 5000 sazhens, then it can be determined that about 350,000 cubic meters of earth stones will go to the dam, if the laying of the sides of the dam is equal to 1.5 of its height; meanwhile, it is easy to see that with similar dimensions, dams in the Belle-Ile Strait can be built only if a stone of earth is thrown into the input 20 times more than what is needed to build a dam in the Sakhalin Strait.
“Upstairs” Butkov’s proposal was studied, discussed, characterized as “eccentric”, unrealizable and, in general, not new (ten years earlier, it is noted in the conclusion to his note, someone already tried to come to power with similar proposals, and also unsuccessfully ). As a result, Butkov's calculations were "put on the shelf."
Surveys for the construction of the tunnel were carried out ina turn 1920-1930s - were also suspended.
But in the middle of the twentieth century, construction railway between the mainland and Sakhalin was not only discussed, but carried out. In 1950, Stalin came up with such an idea. There is evidence that, only for the sake of formality, he first discussed the plans with the first secretary of the Sakhalin Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, D. N.Melnik, who was urgently summoned to Moscow. He tried to convince Stalin that such construction was an almost impossible task, since it required huge funds, a large amount of advanced technology, and human resources. But Melnik's opinion was ignored: the decision had already been made.
Then different options were considered: a ferry crossing, a bridge and a tunnel. Several routes were also discussed for tunneling: from the Lazarev point to Cape Pogibi, the Sredny point to Cape Pogibi, the Muravyov point to Cape Wangi. The first option was chosen. In May 1950, a decree was issued by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the construction of a tunnel and a reserve sea ferry. The work was entrusted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, which meant that the construction would be carried out by the hands of prisoners. It is worth remembering how, half a century earlier, the Kharkov official Vladimir Butkov thought in the same direction and considered it economically justified to “put the hands of convicts” on construction ...
Events developed rapidly. Already in the fall of 1950, the technical specifications for the project were approved. The work was carried out according to a simplified scheme. That is - according to the temporary and undeveloped. There is evidence that engineering and geological surveys were not carried out at the construction sites, and “conditionally fit” materials were used, for example, unimpregnated sleepers.
On Sakhalin, the length of the railway line was to be 327 km - from Pobedino station to Cape Pogibi, that is, to the beginning of the tunnel. The tunnel itself from Perish to Cape Lazarev was supposed to be 10 km long. On the mainland, from Cape Lazarev, the railway line was supposed to pass to the Selikhin station, with a branch to a temporary ferry crossing. It was planned to complete the construction in full by the end of 1953, and to begin the operation of the tunnel - by 1955. It was expected that the freight turnover of the new railway would be about 4 million tons per year.
Construction progressed quickly. By 1953, more than 27 thousand people were involved in it - mostly prisoners of the Gulag. They worked at a rush pace and in the absence of the necessary equipment - it was replaced by the hands of prisoners. Before the work was curtailed, they managed to build 120 km of railway tracks in the Khabarovsk Territory, along the right bank of the Amur. Preparatory work was carried out for the construction ferry crossing. For the tunnel they pierced the shaft of the mine, poured artificial island one and a half kilometers from the coast.
The Bridge to Sakhalin website cites the memories of construction participants. In particular, the engineer Yu. A.Koshelev, who supervised the construction of the tunneling of the first mine.
“In December 1951, I graduated from MIIT. I was sent to work in the construction of the Ministry of Railways No. 6 on Sakhalin Island. The contingent of builders was difficult. The only thing that differed from those who came here is the fact that they gave a subscription to them everywhere. At our facility, out of five foremen, three were out of parole. I was appointed master of the main works. Twelve brigades were given subordination. We were instructed to build a shaft on the seashore with a diameter of eight and a half meters and a depth of about eighty. And when we finish, it was proposed to make cuts and start tunneling. We completed the sinking of the first shaft in February 1953. I remember that cold day very well. Mounted the last ring all night. At 5 am we went upstairs. Itut gave us a solemn meeting ... Immediately, the shaft of the mine handed me a warrant for the room. Arebyata received big awards. But, of course, the appropriate table was set. I would like to note that labor was highly valued at this construction site.”
The construction site was closed in 1953, shortly after Stalin's death. According to Koshelev, there were no clear reasons for this: “After some time, the construction site was closed. They didn’t turn it off, they didn’t mothball it, they closed it. Yesterday they were still working, and today they said: "That's it, no more is needed." We didn't start tunneling like that. Although everything was available for this work: materials, equipment, machinery and good qualified specialists and workers. Many argue that the amnesty that followed after Stalin's funeral put an end to the tunnel - there was practically no one to continue construction. It is not true. Of our 8,000 parolees, no more than 200 left. The rest of the eight months waited for the order to resume construction. We wrote about it to Moscow, asked and begged. I consider the termination of the construction of the tunnel some kind of wild, ridiculous mistake. After all, billions of rubles of people's money, years of desperate labor, were invested in the tunnel. And most importantly, the country really needs the tunnel.”
In the Soviet and the first post-Soviet years, the topic of building a tunnel between Sakhalin and the mainland was raised more than once. And every time she remained “in theory” - for various reasons: from the difficult economic situation in the country to the resignations of specific people who “promoted” the idea (in particular, Nikolai Aksyonenko, who left the post of Minister of Railways in 2002).
And by 2013, the construction of not a tunnel, but a bridge to Sakhalin through the Nevelsky Strait to Cape Lazarev began to be considered as the main option. It was assumed that a total of 587 km of railway lines would be laid from the Selikhin station to the Nysh station.
The Giprostroymost Institute provided “Top Secret” a report “On the infrastructure project for a permanent crossing through the Nevelskoy Strait”, prepared in 2015. As competitive options, the document considers the construction of a shield tunnel (its possible location is 100 meters south of the tunnel alignment, designed in 1951) and a bridge on a double draft slope. As the author of the report, Vice-President of JSC Giprostroymost Institute, Alexei Vasilkov, notes, the cost of options for a bridge crossing and a tunnel is almost identical (the tunnel is a little more expensive), if we talk about construction, but the bridge's capacity is higher. In addition, the entire Selikhin-Nysh section was planned to be non-electrified, respectively. up the bridge locomotives must go. In the case, the tunnel itself will be electrified, and the entire railway line: it is clear that changing the trains of a diesel locomotive for an electric locomotive at the entrance to the tunnel and the exit from it is inexpedient, primarily from an economic point of view. Accordingly, in the case of a stonnel, the operation of the crossing will be more expensive. As Aleksey Vasilkov notes, the timeframes for the construction of facilities differ markedly: 7.5 years for the bridge and 9.5 years for the tunnel, plus 1.5 years for preparatory work. Based on the combination of all factors, the author of the report concludes, the bridge option is preferable as it has a lower construction cost, shorter implementation times and better performance in ensuring the prospective size of traffic.
However, it has recently become known that the stonnel variant is not "written off" and is being revisited as an alternative to building a bridge.
“The data given in the report are now being refined and revised,” said Alexander Baturin, chief engineer and first vice-president of Giprostroymost Institute, to the publication. – Documentation is under development. Therefore, it is too early to speak unambiguously about the advantages of one or another option.
The total cost of the project is currently estimated at 540.3 billion rubles, of which 252.8 billion is the cost of building a 6-kilometer bridge (a 12.5-kilometer tunnel will cost about the same). Plus, someone will need 100 billion rubles for the construction and renovation of transport infrastructure on Sakhalin.
It is assumed that the federal budget will allocate 100 billion rubles directly to the transition (whether it be a tunnel or a bridge), 90 billion - the Development Fund Far East, 60 billion – Development Corporation Sakhalin region. The preliminary terms for the implementation of the project have also been named: construction is expected to begin in 2021 and last at least five years. In a word, different options are being discussed and worked out. Here are just a consensus on whether this project is needed at all, as it was not, so the Internet.
"PLANETARY BRIDGE"
"Project of a planetary scale" - this is how Vladimir Putin called plans to build a bridge from the mainland of Russia to Sakhalin. And judging by the estimated construction costs, the scale of the project is really impressive. On a direct line, the president, in response to a question from a local resident, emphasized the importance of the project: “Today, the lack of a reliable land connection between the island and mainland Russia leads to serious restrictions for local residents. Almost all consumer goods are delivered to Sakhalin by sea, which significantly increases their cost.<…>Due to frequent storms in the Tatar Strait, there are regular pauses in the work of the Vanino-Kholmsk ferry crossing. On the opposite side of the island, large consignments of cargo accumulate - several hundred railway cars. For this reason, island entrepreneurs and business entities are forced to keep permanent stocks in warehouses, diverting working capital for this. Difficulties arise in sending finished products from Sakhalin to the mainland.
Putin also noted that the construction of the bridge will give the region 15,000 new jobs and great opportunities for the transit of goods through the Sakhalin ports in two main directions - from Europe and Russia to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and back.
However, a number of experts doubt the economic feasibility of the project. It follows from the documentation that passenger traffic on the railway will be insignificant: in the tenth year of operation - no more than a couple of trains per day. The volume of freight traffic will amount to 9.2 million tons. For comparison: at the end of 2017, 48.6 million tons of cargo left the stations of the Far Eastern Railway.
The Sakhalin mega-bridge, when it comes to the scale of the project, is sometimes compared to the Crimean one, but, Alexey Bezborodov notes, CEO analytical agency InfraNews, we must not forget that the population of Crimea is 2.5 million people, and Sakhalin - 500 thousand. At the same time, the total cost of building a 19-kilometer Kerch bridge amounted to 227.9 billion rubles (including infrastructure facilities), which is more than two times cheaper than the Sakhalin project. And this despite the fact that ukrymsky bridge– higher throughput: more than 13 million tons of cargo per year.
“But the question in this case is not even the cost, but who and what are we going to carry,” Alexey Bezborodov explains to the Sovershenno Sekretno correspondent. - The most realistic, the most possible place construction of the facility - in the north of Sakhalin. Moreover, most people live in the south of the region. And, for example, it is more convenient to fly from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, including to the main charter transfer points - Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, there is the necessary infrastructure for this. That is, passengers definitely do not need a bridge. Yes, and for cargo transportation, it is hardly necessary. It is easier to build export facilities on Sakhalin and operate them directly in the region. If we are talking about cargo exchange with the mainland regions of Russia, then Vanino is the most remote point from the mainland. So what will be the benefit for domestic trade in this case is completely incomprehensible. Therefore, any, even the lowest, price of the project will be unjustified from an economic point of view.”
The government is preparing a feasibility study for the project. The final decision on it has not yet been made. Discussions and adjustments of its various aspects continue. As expected, at the end of this year, the documentation on the facility will be transferred to the government of the Russian Federation. Then it will be decided what the bridge to Sakhalin will be like. And whether he will be at all.
Evgeniya IVANOV,
https://www.sovsekretno.ru/articles/id/5928/
