Ruslan Baysarov's Company Is Completing a Massive Infrastructure Project in Sakhalin

Ruslan Baysarov’s SK Most Group of companies is rebuilding the railways and expanding track gauges in Sakhalin.

The last stage of regauging the Japanese narrow-gauge railway into the Russian standard is being carried out by Ruslan Baysarov’s SK Most Group of companies in Sakhalin. The longest bridge, at the 249th kilometer of the island railway, was opened up to trains in late October and, out of 52 bridge crossings being rebuilt by SK MOST in 2019, trains have already started running at 45 facilities.

Photo: SK MOST

Running on a wide gauge

When the Russian government decided to widen the track gauge from the Japanese standard of 1067 mm to the all-Russian track width of 1520 mm by 2020, it was Baysarov, in cooperation with Russian Railways, who was entrusted with a large chunk of the job. Specialists had to reconstruct 21 bridges on the Korsakov–Arsentyevka section and 31 bridges on the Arsentyevka–Buyukly branch, and the modernization had to be carried out on time, despite the difficult conditions of the terrain.

This was not an easy task, even for an experienced group of companies such as SK MOST. They had to quickly redeploy construction equipment and reinforced concrete structures to the island to build the superstructure. Some bridges were partially reconstructed, but most had to be completely rebuilt, making it necessary to put up temporary bridges for detours.

Baysarov’s holding is responsible for the longest bridges, located at the 249th and 269th kilometers of the Far Eastern Railway on the Arsentievka–Nogliki section. The bridge at the 269th kilometer, which is about 100-m-long and weighs about 400 t, was commissioned last fall. The length of the bridge at the 249th kilometer (pictured), which has recently been opened to train traffic, is just over 141 m and weighs 615 t.

Baysarov’s SK Most Group of companies plans to complete the main work in Sakhalin by the end of 2019, right on-schedule. Nine more bridges will be built on the Mine–Kholmsk–Chekhov section in 2020. The renewed island infrastructure will help develop the region’s economy by increasing the speed of transportation and the volume of cargo transportation.

Integrated and consistent

Many of Baysarov's projects offer remote regions a second life. The businessman himself has repeatedly emphasized in interviews that limited infrastructure, in fact, simply a lack of highways and railways, hinders the development of mineral-rich regions such as Siberia and the Far East. But the entrepreneur isn’t afraid of a hard job; in fact, the harder it is, the more motivated he is to take it on.

According to Wikipedia, Ruslan Baysarov was born in the village of Prigorodnoye in the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on August 9, 1968, into the Khachara teip (one of the oldest Chechen clans). The large family of the future Forbes listed businessman wasn’t rich, so Baysarov started earning money at an early age, and he soon realized that he could start his own business. He has proven himself to be a very talented strategic investor capable of finishing the most complex projects.

He has succeeded in different fields of business and worked for many years in the oil industry, holding high positions in leading companies based in Moscow. In 2011, Baysarov founded the Tuva Energy Industrial Corporation, which in 2013 acquired the right to develop the Elegest coal mine. This project became one of his most important, because he put his focus on the integrated development of the mines. This project includes:

1. a mining and processing enterprise;
2. the Elegest–Kyzyl–Kuragino line, the first railroad in Tuva;
3. a coal port terminal.

He is also thorough and consistent in his approach to his other projects, such as those carried out by the SK Most Group of companies.

SK MOST makes history

This enormous construction holding, where many former workers from the Baikal–Amur Mainline are now employed, is building several more large-scale structures of importance for the country. Similarly to the Sakhalin project, they have attracted the attention of the public because the fate of entire regions depends on them and they bring new jobs and tax revenues to budgets at all levels.

For example, the holding is building two cross-border bridges across the Amur. Once they are put into operation, trade and economic relations with China are expected to enter a new round. Having a transport corridor to the Celestial Empire no doubt strengthens Russia’s position in the Asia-Pacific region.

The structures of both bridges, which are being built simultaneously from the Chinese and Russian sides, have been connected. The railway bridge connecting Nizhneleninsky with Tongjiang, China, is scheduled to be opened to trains in late 2019 and is being greeted with enthusiasm by entrepreneurs on both sides of the Amur. The cross-border automobile bridge between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe should be commissioned in spring 2020.

In addition, Baysarov’s SK MOST is laying the second line of the Baikal tunnel. This has been hailed as a completely unique project: at about 7 km, not only is it the longest of its kind in Europe, but it is also being built under extremely difficult geographical conditions. The tunnel crosses the Baikal Ridge under the Daban Pass in a seismic zone where a dozen tectonic faults have been found.

Baysarov's new projects will likely go down in history, much like SK Most’s earlier projects.

1. The cable-stayed bridge across the Eastern Bosphorus Strait in Vladivostok that the company built for the APEC 2012 summit is now depicted on the 2,000-ruble bill.
2. Before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, they built roads and railways in the mountainous Mzymta River, connecting Adler and the Alpika Service Resort Olympic facility.
3. The construction of the Sabetta Arctic port in Yamal, in which port facilities were built from scratch during the short summer there, has also been highly praised.

Its ability to keep to schedules and the high bar it sets for quality are the two ideas that guide Ruslan Baysarov’s company, ensuring its position as the leader in its field and a trendsetter in building infrastructure, giving it the edge needed to complete difficult tasks and make history in building the country’s most important construction projects.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.