Tynda
Encyclopedia
Tynda is a town in Amur Oblast
, Russia
. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population:
, near where the Getkan River joins the Tynda, after which the town was named. The Tynda then flows into the Gilyuy
, a tributary of the Zeya
, a few kilometers east of the town.
Tynda is 568 kilometres (352.9 mi) north-west of the regional capital Blagoveshchensk
.
. In 1928, in conjunction with construction of the highway to Yakutsk
, it was renamed Tyndinsky as a work settlement.
In 1932, plans for what would eventually become the Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM) named Tynda as a possible future hub station. A 180 km long rail line, connecting Tynda with BAM station (known known as Bamovskaya) near Skovorodino
on the Trans-Siberian Railway
was constructed between 1933 and 1937, although this was then dismantled during the second world war and the rails reused for other projects closer to the front. In 1941, the town received Urban-type settlement
status.
The revival of the construction of the BAM as an All-Union Komsomol Project in the early 1970s saw the reconstruction of the rail line between Bamovskaya and Tyndinsky, followed by the construction of the BAM east and west of the town. The town and its hub station were placed under the patronage of Komsomol brigades from Moscow
, befitting its status as symbolic capital of the BAM. As its population grew due to the construction, the settlement was granted town status and received its present name on November 14, 1975.
The Amur Yakutsk Mainline
(AYaM) also began construction from Tynda, with the section to Neryungri
completed in 1977. The AYaM currently sees passenger services as far as Tommot
in the Sakha Republic, with completion to Yakutsk
expected in 2013.
The full extent of the BAM opened for full use in 1989, with the exception of the Severomuysky Tunnel
. Tynda went into a decline after the BAM was completed, as the utilization of the mainline turned out to be low. Tynda's population has dropped by over 30% since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, from a high of 61,996 inhabitants recorded in the 1989 soviet census, to an estimated population of around 38,000 in 2008.
, Ukrainians
and Belorussians make up the majority of the town's population. Around 1,500 North Korean loggers worked in the region as of 2007, strictly prohibited from speaking with journalists and residing in isolated camps which are closed to all other people.
Tynda is the crossing point for the Baikal Amur Mainline and Amur Yakutsk Mainline
railways, the town's station is one of the most important on both lines and possesses a large locomotive depot.
Other than railway-related activities, the town's economy relies largely on the timber
industry, with the Tyndales corporation based here. The M56 motorway to Yakutsk
also passes through the town.
The town is served by the Tynda Airport
, located 15 km to the north. After being closed for a number of years, air services from Blagoveshchensk
via Zeya
resumed in 2007.
with: Wenatchee, Washington, United States
Amur Oblast
Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...
, 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...
. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population:
Geography
The town is located at an elevation of 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, near where the Getkan River joins the Tynda, after which the town was named. The Tynda then flows into the Gilyuy
Gilyuy River
Gilyuy is a river in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Zeya River, and is 545 km long, with a drainage basin of 22,500 km². The river has its sources on the southern slopes of the Stanovoy Mountains, passes near Tynda and flows southeast into the Zeya Reservoir.Its main...
, a tributary of the Zeya
Zeya River
Zeya River , 1,242 km long, is a northern tributary of the Amur River. It rises in the Tokiysky Stanovik mountain ridge, a part of the Stanovoy Range. The first Russian to enter the area was Vassili Poyarkov....
, a few kilometers east of the town.
Tynda is 568 kilometres (352.9 mi) north-west of the regional capital Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: -Early history of the region:The early residents of both sides of the Amur in the region of today's Blagoveshchensk were the Daurs and Duchers...
.
History
The settlement of Shkaruby was founded in 1917 on the present site of Tynda, as a rest stop and winter camp on the route from the Amur to the newly-discovered gold fields on the Timpton River, a tributary of the AldanAldan River
The Aldan River is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 km long, of which around 1,600 km is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk...
. In 1928, in conjunction with construction of the highway to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, it was renamed Tyndinsky as a work settlement.
In 1932, plans for what would eventually become the Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM) named Tynda as a possible future hub station. A 180 km long rail line, connecting Tynda with BAM station (known known as Bamovskaya) near Skovorodino
Skovorodino
Skovorodino is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: 10,100 ; 10,566 ; 13,824 .-Geography:The town is located in the upper stream of the Bolshoy Never River some 669 km northwest of Blagoveshchensk...
on the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
was constructed between 1933 and 1937, although this was then dismantled during the second world war and the rails reused for other projects closer to the front. In 1941, the town received Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
status.
The revival of the construction of the BAM as an All-Union Komsomol Project in the early 1970s saw the reconstruction of the rail line between Bamovskaya and Tyndinsky, followed by the construction of the BAM east and west of the town. The town and its hub station were placed under the patronage of Komsomol brigades from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, befitting its status as symbolic capital of the BAM. As its population grew due to the construction, the settlement was granted town status and received its present name on November 14, 1975.
The Amur Yakutsk Mainline
Amur Yakutsk Mainline
The Amur-Yakutsk Mainline is a partially complete railway in eastern Russia, linking the Trans-Siberian Railway and Baikal-Amur Mainline with the Sakha Republic....
(AYaM) also began construction from Tynda, with the section to Neryungri
Neryungri
Neryungri is the second largest town in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Population: Municipally, the town is incorporated as Neryungrinsky Municipal District ....
completed in 1977. The AYaM currently sees passenger services as far as Tommot
Tommot
Tommot is a town in Aldansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Aldan River southwest of Yakutsk and southwest of Aldan. Population: -Geography:...
in the Sakha Republic, with completion to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
expected in 2013.
The full extent of the BAM opened for full use in 1989, with the exception of the Severomuysky Tunnel
Severomuysky Tunnel
Severomuysky Tunnel is a railroad tunnel on the Baikal Amur Mainline , in northwestern Buryatia, Russia. It is named after the Severomuysky Range it cuts through....
. Tynda went into a decline after the BAM was completed, as the utilization of the mainline turned out to be low. Tynda's population has dropped by over 30% since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, from a high of 61,996 inhabitants recorded in the 1989 soviet census, to an estimated population of around 38,000 in 2008.
Demographics
RussiansRussians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and Belorussians make up the majority of the town's population. Around 1,500 North Korean loggers worked in the region as of 2007, strictly prohibited from speaking with journalists and residing in isolated camps which are closed to all other people.
Economy and infrastructure
Amur Yakutsk Mainline
The Amur-Yakutsk Mainline is a partially complete railway in eastern Russia, linking the Trans-Siberian Railway and Baikal-Amur Mainline with the Sakha Republic....
railways, the town's station is one of the most important on both lines and possesses a large locomotive depot.
Other than railway-related activities, the town's economy relies largely on the timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
industry, with the Tyndales corporation based here. The M56 motorway to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
also passes through the town.
The town is served by the Tynda Airport
Tynda Airport
Tynda Sigikta Airport is an airport in Russia located 16 km north of Tynda. It is an intermediate class of airfield with several large buildings, probably capable of handling jet traffic. The airport's main purpose is as a hypothetical location for planning business trips....
, located 15 km to the north. After being closed for a number of years, air services from Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: -Early history of the region:The early residents of both sides of the Amur in the region of today's Blagoveshchensk were the Daurs and Duchers...
via Zeya
Zeya (town)
Zeya is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia, located on the Zeya River some 230 km southeast of Tynda and 532 km north of Blagoveshchensk...
resumed in 2007.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Tynda is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Wenatchee, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...