"Golden link" marks the bonding of the BAM’s eastern and western sections

The Baikal-Amur Mainline, one of the largest railway lines in the world, runs through the Irkutsk, Chita, Amur regions, Buryatia and Yakutia, and the Khabarovsk Territory. Along with the Trans-Siberian Railway, the BAM serves as the country’s second through exit to the Pacific Ocean.

The idea of building the line was put forward for the first time in the 1880s. However, the construction was repeatedly postponed for various reasons (deficiency of manpower, the Great Patriotic War, earthquakes in the construction area in the late 1950s).

The active construction of the BAM was not resumed until 1974.

On September 29, 1984, the Balbukhta looping pass became the spot for the "golden bonding" (Chita region, Kalarsky district). After advancing towards each other for 10 years, the eastbound and westbound divisions of the BAM builders finally met. On October 1, the BAM’s "golden" links were laid at Kuanda station (Chita region, Kalarsky district).