Baikal-Amur Mainline. For most people, it is an abbreviation from geography textbooks. Century project, Komsomol, eternal permafrost. But today, the BAM is not just freight trains with coal and timber. It is a unique tourist attraction that can compete with many advertised routes. Thousands of kilometers of taiga, mountains, rivers, and tunnels where a person feels like a grain of sand. In 2026, interest in BAM as an attraction grew: tourist trains, rafting, excursions appeared. It's time to embark on a journey along the most romantic railway in Russia. What is BAM Baikal-Amur Mainline is a railway 4287 km long from Taishet (Irkutsk Oblast) to Sovetskaya Gavan (Khabarovsk Krai). Construction was carried out intermittently from 1938 to 1984, with the peak in the 1970s-1980s. In 1984, the "golden link" was laid. BAM passes through the zone of eternal permafrost, seismic activity, through 7 mountain ridges, 11 large rivers ( Lena, Amur, etc.). There are 4,200 bridges, over 30 tunnels, including the North-Mui tunnel (15 km). This engineering marvel still causes admiration. Why is BAM interesting to tourists For tourists, BAM is an opportunity to see untouched nature: taiga, hills, rivers, lakes. As well as industrial artifacts: stations with mosaics, steam locomotive memorials, abandoned settlements. The route passes through three time zones. You can see the North-Mui tunnel, which was built for 26 years, and the Devil's Bridge viaduct. For extreme sports enthusiasts — rafting on the tributaries of the Vitim, trekking to Baikal from the BAM branch. Also possible hunting, fishing (trout, lenok), collecting wild plants. Tourist trains 2026 In 2026, specialized tourist trains were launched: "BAM-Express" and "Golden Mainline". They run from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk with stops at key points: Taishet (the beginning of BAM), Severobaikalsk (the shore of Baikal), Nizhneangarsk, Taksimo, Chara (desert with towers), Tynda (the capital of BAM). In the trains — air-conditio ... Read more