The North Siberian Railway: The Idea's Origin

The paper, based on identified historical documents, presents aspects of the origin of the idea of building the North Siberian Railway. The purpose of the study is outlined - to reveal the features of the promotion of plans for the construction of new railway lines at the beginning of the 20th century. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the work presents unpublished materials, in particular, those stored in the archives of the city of Yeniseisk. Archival documents testify to the results of the meeting on communication routes (Irkutsk, 1906), which laid the foundation for the transformation of railway, river and land transport communications in Siberia. The activities of the authorities of Siberian provinces and cities aimed at developing a network of transport communications are shown. One of the large-scale plans was the idea of building the Northern Highway - Tomsk-Yeniseisk-Kirensk-Amur Road. It was supposed to solve the problems of introducing the entire Northern Region to the common cultural life - from the Ob to the Amur, as well as creating a strong and reliable connection with the Far East. The Russian government supported the idea of Siberian cities, allocating state funds for technical research on the planned Tomsk-Yeniseisk railway line. In 1913, a survey party examined the railway route and put it on the map. However, these plans were not destined to come true at the beginning of the last century, as the time of great upheavals was approaching, which significantly changed all of Russia. At the same time, the focused efforts of researchers of the last century became the basis for the process of accumulating scientific and practical experience, which was necessary for developing concepts for the development of the eastern regions of the country at the beginning of the 21st century.