BAM, Trans-Siberian Railway financing moved from Far East program to transport program - Galushka
MOSCOW. Jan 20 (Interfax) - Financing for a project to develop the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and Trans-Siberian Railway has been moved from the Far East development program to the transport development program, Alexander Galushka, the Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East, said at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The ministry formulated these proposals, and I personally reported to the Russian president about how this kind of substitution isn't correct as concerns responsible state governance, and it has been suggested that the BAM and Trans-Siberian program be moved to the transport system development program so as not to create the illusion of huge financing for the Far East," he said.
"BAM and the Trans-Siberian are important, necessary and useful development projects for the national railway infrastructure. But we initially emphasized that it is unacceptable to replace the development of the Far East with the development of railway infrastructure. They say, 'here, we have billions in the Far East development program,' then it becomes clear that this is BAM and the Trans-Siberian. And the Russian president's decision has been made. BAM and the Trans-Siberian have been moved [from one state program to another]. And we are not [using] any big figures to create the illusion of huge financing specifically for the Far East itself. This has happened," Galushka said.