Transarctic Transport Corridor: what is known about the route

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum 2025 (EEF 2025) that the interest of countries in the Trans—Arctic route is growing and that it will be actively developed. Where this route runs and what significance it has for Russian companies and foreign carriers operating in the Arctic is described in the Izvestia article.

What is known about the Transarctic Transport Corridor, route on the map

The Transarctic Corridor is a transport route passing through the northern seas and connecting the western and eastern parts of Russia — from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. It aims to bring together key global industrial, agricultural, and energy centers, as well as consumer markets, through a shorter, safer, and more profitable route.

The integrated system, which will connect marine, railway and automobile modes of transport under its auspices, will be laid along the line of the largest Russian rivers — the Ob, Yenisei and Lena — and through the ports of the Arctic zone, that is, in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and others. Its key section will be the Northern Sea Route.

The vessels prepared in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk are heading east with stops in Dikson, Dudinka and Igarka in the Yenisei Bay area. The development of the TTC will make it possible to use the transport potential of Siberian rivers and expand logistics opportunities for businesses, and combine sea, rail, and road transport into a common system both "on the shore", where work will also be carried out, and within the framework of modernized seaports in the Arctic and the Far East. It will also allow unloading the Trans-Siberian Railway and the BAM.

It is planned that in the coming years Russia will have to switch to year-round operation of this strategically important area. It is assumed that in 5 years, up to 109 million tons of cargo per year will be transported along the route.

Work on the largest marine and Arctic project is being carried out by several departments at once — the Ministry of Transport, the Office for National Maritime Policy.

In the summer of 2025, on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a financial and economic model for the development of the corridor was approved. During his speech at the WEF-2025 plenary session, the president instructed the government, together with the Maritime Board, to evaluate new proposals for the development of the corridor, including the creation of modern shipbuilding centers for the production of the entire range of vessels, as well as the opening of direct access for cargo from Siberia and the Urals to the Arctic sea routes.

"We will develop the Transarctic Corridor. We talk about the Northern Sea Route all the time, but it is important that this artery operates in a complex," the president noted, adding that the project meets the interests of the country for centuries to come.

According to the concept, not only Russian companies will have access to the TTC, but also the countries of the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia, as well as India and Africa.

How are the Transarctic Route and the Northern Sea Route connected?

In recent years, the Northern Sea Route has become a priority for Russia. In 2022, a development plan for the Northern Sea Route was adopted to ensure economical cargo delivery routes, and in 2023, the first Arctic LNG 2 line was launched.

The Transarctic Transport Corridor is a direct continuation of Russia's activities within the framework of the Northern Sea Route, which has reduced the distance of cargo delivery from Asia to Europe and back by more than 10,000 km.

The Northern Sea Route is developing a nuclear icebreaking fleet, Arctic infrastructure, and the development of new mineral deposits that will become pillars of the Transarctic Transport Corridor.

In 2024, it was announced that the Northern Sea Route should act as a "springboard" for the development of the North—South transport corridor, which is designed to connect the Northern Sea Route with the Persian Gulf.

Development of the TTC and the Far East

The Artem Transport and Logistics Center (TLC), which is an important element of the Transarctic Transport Corridor, is one of the key facilities for the development of the Far East. Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of Development of the Far East and the Arctic, said this in an interview with Izvestia correspondent Anton Zolotnitsky on the sidelines of the WEF-2025.

"There will be more such projects. A very important component is the electrification of the Eastern landfill. These are the energy decisions that will also be taken today so that a new flow of goods, both imported and exported, can fully pass through our Eastern Gates," Chekunkov said, adding that such initiatives will gain momentum with the growth of the region's infrastructure.