Sakhalin railways or one of the unique attractions of the island

Modern Sakhalin is a remote and isolated region of our country, where when driving along the sea you can see big burdocks, mountainous terrain and, unfortunately, devastation. It was the wealth of resources that predetermined the appearance of railway communication on Sakhalin, and the subordination of Japan for 40 years left an appropriate imprint on its appearance. Until now, this road is narrow, but it can withstand significant transportation with a large number of difficult sections: almost on mountain cliffs and next to the sea.

HELP! The length of the railway tracks is 805 km. Construction was carried out from 1907 to 1979. The cities that it captures: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Kholmsk, Poronaysk, Korsakov.

With the possible production of oil and gas, most of the settlements on the island cannot boast of prosperity. There is almost no large-scale production left. And among this sad picture, only the railway stands out, although for a whole day you can see rare freight or passenger trains on it. But the management of Russian Railways has already begun work on turning it into a standard Russian gauge, hoping, apparently, for future demand.

While Russian Railways has not finally had a hand in rebranding this road, and while funny Japanese trains run along it, do not be lazy to drive along it along the sea. In the evening, when the sun sinks below the sea horizon, it will be impossible to break away from the window. Swerving, the train will also take you through wild bamboo thickets. And then be sure to read the history of the creation of the railway, at the time of which fantastic plans were being made with ups and downs.

HELP! What to see:

• Cape gauge lines along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan;
• «Devil's Bridge», «Witch's Bridge» and tunnels on the former Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk line – Kholmsk;
• railway history museum.

The transport network on Sakhalin began to develop even at the time of the subordination of Japan to its southern part (the governorship of Karafuto). Before the military conflict between Russia and Japan at the beginning of the XX century, the island was a point of exile, and settlements were formed around the places where convicts stayed. There was no normal road – it was constantly washed away by rains, communication with the outside world suffered greatly. The working activity of people was coal mining. A small section of the first railway appeared precisely at the mines.

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty defined the transfer of power from the military to the peaceful Japanese government, which accelerated the development of the acquired territory. Those who were ready to move to the island were offered land with the obligatory condition of their cultivation. Sakhalin was famous for its vast forests, minerals, fertile lands and fresh water. That is, there were many opportunities for life and development of the economy. The Japanese gladly took advantage of this chance: since 1905, over 40 years, the population of Karafuto (now Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) has grown to 400 thousand people.

By the beginning of the XX century, Japan could boast of success in building mountain railway communications with a gauge of 1067 mm (Cape gauge). The road began to transport passengers, gradually expanded to the north and passed through the most fertile lands on which it was convenient for immigrants to live.

A little later, there was a plan to extend the railway line to the west coast, which was subsequently connected to the east. The construction lasted 7 years, the length of the branch was 84 km. During the work, 15 tunnels, 35 bridges and several anti-avalanche galleries appeared. But the grandiose structure was the intersection of the road with the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky Ridge. The road that ran along the valley of the stream was raised higher, that is, in fact, it was the intersection of itself. To do this, two tunnels were dug, which were connected by a bridge called the "Devil". This section was opened for traffic in 1928.

Of course, such a speed of construction was achieved at the expense of almost slave labor. With the tacit consent of the government, private construction companies lured the poor with favorable conditions. Such a workforce was mercilessly exploited, and the promised monetary rewards were not paid. At the time of construction, many people died.

By 1945, in the south of Sakhalin, railway communication was developed an order of magnitude better than in the north. Since 1925, the USSR has been trying to start the construction of the Trans-Sakhalin highway from Alexandrovsk to Okha (the center of oil production). However, it was not possible to complete the work due to limited funding in the conditions of impending military conflicts. The new Russian-Japanese war accelerated the extension of the tracks towards Poronaysk (eastern highway), but it did not help the Japanese in the fight against the USSR.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War on Sakhalin, which returned to Russia, an active restoration of the economy began, including the question of the fate of the Japanese railway. Japanese capsule tracks remained only because of the need to establish transport links soon. But then a new problem appeared - maintenance of the road. Soviet settlers faced ignorance of the principle of operation of Japanese structures, and in the conditions of natural disasters, the problem became even more acute. And to all this was added the remoteness from the main government of the country, which is why decisions were made for a very long time and poorly funded.

But gradually the locals adjusted their way of life and the efficiency of the railway. But Sakhalin saw important projects only in the 70s and 80s. Before that, the Okha-Katangli narrow-gauge railway (200 km) to the oil and gas areas was built. However, convicts consisting of prisoners were again involved in the construction. Japanese steam locomotives were gradually replaced by new domestic diesel locomotives. Vanino ferry – Kholmsk has been launched.

At the time of perestroika, the Sakhalin railway system was completely abandoned. Many sections, bridges, tunnels and anti-collapse galleries were closed, passenger traffic was significantly reduced. Since the 2000s, attention has been paid to it again, changing the track to the standard Russian one. To date, 60% of the paths have been updated. But until the entire system has been updated, the Sakhalin railways are still a unique attraction of the city. The flagship train No. 1 operates from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Nogliki. Japanese diesel D2 trains operate near Kholmsk. When traveling to Tomari by commuter train, a view of the sea will open from the window, which almost touches the tracks. In warm weather, a good solution would be to buy a ticket for a flight from Kholmsk to the terminal station 77 km PK 9 and walk along the old rails a little forward to the Devil's Bridge.

Alas, the support of one of the most beautiful attractions of Sakhalin is not funded by the authorities, but it still remains in good condition.