ROADS AND RAILROADS IN THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002100610001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 16, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 20, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

g;'FIC,AT!O
COUNTRY Us
Approved For Re ffe/ 00O
SUBJECT Rows and. Railroads in the USSR
25X1 A6a
PLACE
ACQUIRE
DATE OF
Stal.inrrad Area
25X1X6
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h AL
a. The railways have been repaired and are in good order, carrying heavy
traffic. Stalingrad station has been rebuilt.
h. Road maintenance is bad and. because of heavy traffic, is ,getting; worse.
A new road bridge has been built over the Silva River. It is of reinforced
concrete capable of carrying 200 tons.
v orocd Area
The railways are maintained irl good order in this area. The ballast Is
being renewed on several stretches of line.
4. Riga Area
a. Soviet Arms and prisoner-of vrar labor is being used In the construction
of a temporary (sic) bridge over the Duna River to replace the destroyed
bridge. The bridge will be of steelj250 to 300 meters long and about 20
meters wide,with a capacity of about 150 tone. It will be available for
both road and rail traffic. A construction' firm in Riga is supplyi.g
materials and equipment. It is hoped to complete the bridge In 1948.
b. The railway line from Turkhum (sic: Tukums ?) to Hasenpott (sic) to
being reconstructed and extended.
A V71
7 / 1763 _
7/1763-
DATE
DATE DISTR. 20 December 1948
NO. OF ENCLS.
tusrea BE.m
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a. All rail lines in the Lithuanian and Latvian SSRs east of the Riga
Shau],yai-Yaanas line are single-traobed and all are Russian ,wee.
The existence of the third-rail system was nowhere observed in this
area.
5. Bobruisk Area
a. The standard of railway maintenance has been improved. A new two-
track railway is being constructed from Bobruisk to Nosyr.
b. The roads are being repaired,
A new two-track railway has been built since the war from Iougansk to
Yekaterinoslar.
7. Donets 'B?asin
a. The railways are well maintained, aid. nearly all pro-war lines are
again in use. Two new two-track lines have been built,as follows:
(1) Xrepkeya-Sovooherkasek
(2) Raveald-Pervvo iWa ov
Both lines were brought fully into use in the spring of 1947.
b. Road maintenance is not good., and heavy traffic has affected the
foundations of the roads.
8. ','~ Area
a. The road to Bender. which was badly damaged early in the 'war, was
rebuilt to a width of five to seven meters. In July 1945, it was
surfaced with asphalt. The Dnester Bridge, which had been destroyed,
was temporarily repaired for military purposes by Soviet Ara en-
gineers using timber on concrete piers. A new steel bridge with
concrete piers is being built alongside. Component parts manu-
faoturad in Kiev are being used in construction. It will be about
300 meters long and seven to eight meters wide, with a capacity of
150 tons. The underwater work is being carried out by German and
Hungarian. specialists, but the whole construction is supervised
by Soviet engineers.
a. The roads are well maintained, and there appears to be a general
road repair program throughout the area.
Sestroret k
a. the Leningrad-Piborg railway is double-tracked,
b. The Leningrad-Viborg road is being rebuilt for military purposes,
along with connections to points on the coast. The road itself
is to be eight meters wide, of asphalt surface. Work should be
completed 'W the end of 1948.
o. The harbor at Sestroretsk is suitable for only small ships.
10. Cherenovets
To the southeast of the railway station on the Tologda-Leningrad line,
in a large backwater from the river, is a transfer point for river-
rail traffic to Leningrad. This is necessary as the Sheksna Canal to
Leningrad is frozen for seven months of the year and Tolg River traffic
mast, during this period, be transferred to the railway of Oherepovets.
On the eastern bank are large warehouses for foodstuffs and general
goods,while on the vest bank there are large timber yards.
.`L CIALS ONLT
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The railway lines to Stalin, Toroshilovgrad,and Serge are single-
tracked.
12. ISO" sad Menel ( )
a. The Kaunas railwepr stationwith 160 lines and sidings, is in the
center of the town, approached. from the -east through a tunnel 300
meters long. All lines from Kaunas are of broad gauge. A new sail bridge
has been built over the Boman 300 km. from $annas.
'b,. The main roads to V11na and Tirbal are four to five meters wide,
of loose stone surface which becomes muddy in bad w.oather.
13.
14.
2ke
The main line to the north is double-tracked.
" iliti .(.T f1j,)
The main road to the Turkish frontier is six meters wide and has a
loose stone surface.
16. kmagim
Brosk-LU916k Am
a. The railwq station at Brest-Litovsk is a gauge interchange point.
It runs in a north-south direction and covers a 'large area. The
area, inolvding the sidings, is stated to be 150 square kilometers.
b. The main road to Minsk and Moscow has been newly reconstructed.
It is 10 meters wide and has a loose stone surface.
a. The main line to Bakta is double-tracked. The main line to
iovoroossisk is single-tracked.
b. The road to Baku is four to five motors wide and has a loose
stone surface.
a. The railway station is in the middle of the town, with $0 lines
and sidings. The main lines to Moscow and Gorki are double-
tracked. A new double-tra,ak line has been built~:since the war to
Trer.
b. The main roads to Gorki and Moscow are five to six meters wide, and
of loose stone surface.
1S. Stlio Area
a. The passenger railway station is in the southern outskirts of the
town. There are a total of 120 lines and sidings. The following
lines are double-tracked:
(1) Stalin-Mariupol
(2) Stalin-Xiev.
b. The main road to Kiev is six to eight meters wide, and to
five to six meters wide; both of loose stone surface.
19. Narva Area
The road from Slantr to Lenin at ie five to six meters wide; of loose
stone surface.
a. The main line to Leningrad is double-tracked. The branch line to
Slantor is single-tracked.
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krAmand
a. The Baltic Railway station has 160 sidings and is in the nn*to*r-
quarter of the city. The branch line to 8eitigorsk is single-
tracked.
be Repairs to the road to Aattaitigorsk have been completely neglected.
The road is five to six meters wide and of loose stone surface.
XAUAU
a. The main line to Moscow is double-tracked from Kalinin.
be The road Moscow-Raliniu-Leningrad is eight to ten natters wide and
of asphalt surface.
USUZ Imoh
a. The railway station is in the middle of the town. It is a terminus
with six tracks. The lines to Dnepropetrovsk and to Iarakash are
both singld-tracked.
b. The main road to Dnepropetrovsk is four to five meters wide, of
stone surface, and mad44y' in wet weather.
23. -Qrfil Area
24.
25.
a. The main railway line Tula:-Orel-Mosoov is double-tracked.
b. The main road Orgl-Tale is eight to ten meters wide. The surface
is partly cement and pertly asphalt.
fsrbloy,k
a. The railway station, with 61 lines and nidirags4is in the northern
quarter of the town. The main line to Moscow is double-tracked,
b. The main road to Moscow is five to six meters wide, of loose stone
surface.-
Ylintsr (150 km. joust of Srsransk)
a. The railway station, with 50 lines and sidings, Is in, the eastern
quarter of the town. The main line Drtansk Hinter-Gomel is double-
tracked.
be The main roam flints -'O meal is five to six meters wide with a loose
stone surface.
26. am&
The main railway station is right in the middle of the city,, with about
100 lines and sidings. Marshalling yards lie on the western outskirts.
27. Xai1Sz
a. The Central Station is in the middle of the town, with the North
station in the northern quarter, and the South Station in the
southern quarter. Bach station has about 120 to 140 lines and
sidings, which in one case extend for six kilometers. (The actual
station is not identified.) The mein lines to Moscow, Leningrad,
and Bobrots are double-tracked.
be the main roads to Moscow and Leningrad we five to six meters wide,
and have a paved surface, but nevertheless become mmddy in wet
weather.
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28. Zon
a. The railer station is in the eastern quarter of the town. Together
with the sidings, it Is three kilometers long and 300 meters wide.
The main lines to Armavir and Krasnodar are double-tracked.
b. The main roads to Armavir and Krasnodar are six to seven meters wide
with a paved surface.
29. EM
a.
The railway station is seven kilometers to the south of the town.
It has 120 lines and sidings.
are double-tracked.
The main lines to Moscow and Sverdlovsk
b.
The main road to Moscow is six to eight meters wide, partly of asphalt
and partly loose stone surface. All other roads are very narrow and
in very bad condition.
a.
In the summer of 1948, a new
wooden bridge over the Yyatka River was
built in Kirov. It is 800 meters long and 12 meters wide.
30. I !"! o L. JDone&p in- &NM '30 km 8411 Ie... Tanovka)
All railway lines have been repaired. A new connecting link was completed
in the autumn of 1947 to Rovenski.
Ag Ads iLithu nta end last
31. The Saunas-Mariyampole-Kibartai road in southwest Lithuania was severely
damaged during the war, and very little work was done on it between 1945
and 1947. In the summer of 1947 and later in the spring of 1948, however,
work was resumed vigorously. The work is now nearing completion sad the
road is up to peacetime standards. All wooden emergency bridges have been
replaced by permanent stone structures. These are all drilled to receive
demolition charges. Nearly the whole stretch from Yannas to the last
Prussian frontier has been widened by one meter] the unmetalled edge of
the road has been dug up and stone foundations laid, and metalled to
produce an average road width of seven meters.
32. The diversion stretch via Pilvischkiai (Pilwis$ki), formerly about four
meters wide. has also been widened to six meters and is now in good
condition.
33. The road from Sian1iai (Sobaulen) to the last Prussian frontier and
from Siauliai to-the Latvian frontier has been brought up to peace-
time conditions. All former emergency bridges on this road have been
replaced by stone ones - reinforced with metal. The two bridges at
Dubial over the Dubiesa River and the Yenta Canal are very strongly
built, being as wide as the road and capable of carrying 50 tons.
34. The Memel-Sauna road, which crosses the Sislial-Cast Prussia road
by means of a viaduct about five meters high at Krisshkal.nas, has
also been very well repaired and is between four and five meters wide.
33. The bridge across the Ssessuppe River near Mariyampole has a capacity
of 45 tons.
36.
Since the spring of 1948, a good deal of road repair work has been
carried out in the Alitus area. Local inhabitants, including women,
children, and peasants from the collective farms, have had to work a
certain number of hours on road repairs in addition to their harvest
work. Minor Soviet officials have also had to take part. Political
prisoners in forced labor gangs have been used as well; but these are
segregated from the others, rho are organised into work brigades, each
under four or five Su et engineer troops. Repair material is brow it
up on trucks and farm carts.
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The road Merklno-Alitue-Saunas has received special attention. The 17th
Independent Engineer Battalion, which arrived in April 1948 from Werro
(sio3 Tyres ?),Estonia, is in charge of this work. Battalion headquarters
is located near Alitus station, and the battalion itself is divided into
small sub-units stationed along the whole length of the road. The battalion
is commanded IV Lt. Col. LovalevIki. The enlisted men wear black shoulder
boards. Seventy-fife percent of the unit are Russians and. Uksainiause the
rest 'are of various Soviet nationalities.
38. The Alitus-Jezmas road is being re-metalled, and soft spots are being given
fresh stone foundations. All bridges damaged during the war are being re-
paired and broadened to a width of at least five meters.
39. The road to Primal, branching from this road, has been almost com,letelr
repaired. In June 191+8, an underground cable was laid alongside it
40. The Prienai-Yawns road is also being repaired. The engineer unit working
on this stretch of road is quartered in Garliava, with a subordinate unit
at Prienai.
41. The Alitus-Xalvarija road has been under repair since June 1948. The
engineer battalion working on this road arrived in Simnas between 29 and
31 May 1948 from Krastpils, Latvia. It is well supplied with motor trans-
portation, including ZIS, GAZ. 'ord, and US "International" trucks, as well
as five-ton,.STZ and twelve-ton "Yomintern" tractors.
k 0a S bar Railaav
42. The construction of the South Siberian Railway has reached a critical stagier
Work has been brought to a standstill in many sectors beaaasae of iuolement
autumn weather. On the line Altaiakaa-Nsvosib1rsk, track laying has stopped
at the already existing station of Zarinskaya. Beyond it lies the taiga,
and it is necessary to build bridges over the Rivers Chuaysh, Alambai, and
Borovlyanba. There are not enough trucks for bringing up materials, and
there is an insufficient number of transport workers. Cross-country tracks
become impassable in the autumn. Not least of the difficulties is the
problem of fuel for vehicles, as supplies of gasoline are totally inadequate.
43. (Date of informations November 194?) A rail line joins Bain Tumen (48005a8,
114?3083) and the Trans Siberian Railway somewhere in the vicinity of Borsya.
44. No railway exists between Ulan Bator and the Siberian border.
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