Murmansk-Nikel Railway
Encyclopedia
The Murmansk–Nikel Railway is a 206 km long railway between Murmansk
and Nikel
in Murmansk Oblast
, Russia
, primarily for freight from the nickel
mine
at Nikel, but also open to passengers. The railway was completed in 1968 and is not electrified. A part was built 1936. In 1961 the line Kola - Pechenga was opened and in 1968 to Nikel.
Kirkenes World Port Group consortium has proposed connecting the Kirkenes-Bjørnevatnbanen mining railway to the Murmansk-Nikel Railway at Zapoljarnij, linking the Russian rail network to the Norwegian port
of Kirkenes
, to reduce port congestion at Murmansk
. So far the Russians prefer using their own port, which has also been expanded.
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
and Nikel
Nikel
Nikel is an urban locality and the administrative center of Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Kuets-Yarvi northwest of Murmansk and from the Norwegian border. Population: 18,000 .-History:In the 1920 Treaty of Tartu, Soviet Russia ceded the area of...
in Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, primarily for freight from the nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
at Nikel, but also open to passengers. The railway was completed in 1968 and is not electrified. A part was built 1936. In 1961 the line Kola - Pechenga was opened and in 1968 to Nikel.
Proposed expansion
The NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Kirkenes World Port Group consortium has proposed connecting the Kirkenes-Bjørnevatnbanen mining railway to the Murmansk-Nikel Railway at Zapoljarnij, linking the Russian rail network to the Norwegian port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of Kirkenes
Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
, to reduce port congestion at Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
. So far the Russians prefer using their own port, which has also been expanded.