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Mozenskaya Railway - The Russian Way in the 20th Century by Max Sher
Russia’s Vologda Region (ca. 500 km northeast of Moscow) is a vast expanse of pristine forests, pure lakes, ancient monasteries and towns. It is also home to one of the country’s few private railway lines – the Monzenskaya railway, or simply Monza (pronounced in German as Monsa) – which starts from the Northern main line and runs eastwards for almost 300 km into deep forests. The history of this railway is, in some sort, the history of Russia in the 20th century. Its construction began in late 1920s when the Soviet government decided to organise centralised supplies of timber to Moscow and other big cities, then entirely heated by firewood. Before WWII, the main work force was exiles and forcibly displaced people brought here from all over the country. This fact as well as a feel of permanent isolation from the outside world and harsh labour and living conditions helped forge a peculiar character and identity: locals are often cold, reserved or even rude at first sight but hearty and sincere if you get to know them better. As the construction went further, lumber camps were set up along the railway, which then grew into bigger villages. When firewood was no longer needed in huge volumes, the wood processing on Monzenskaya line was restructured to produce other timber products. The line itself was continually extended throughout the Soviet period as exploration of new logging areas continued. With the end of government funding, the extension stalled in late 1980s as the Soviet Union was approaching its demise, and the tracks now end in the middle of nowhere. Unlike most railways, Monzenskaya never belonged to the Soviet Railways Ministry but was part of a huge centralised wood processing behemoth – the lespromkhoz. Today, it is an entirely private operation, also quite unusual for Russia. For a few dozen thousand people living along the Monzenskaya, it was and still is the only link to the outside world. Some forest villages have neither cellular nor land phone communications, no roads whatsoever except for winter ones, and to call a doctor in emergency they have to pay the railway to send in a railcar. Four times a week, there is a regular passenger service but the passenger cars are old, cold and poorly lit. Tracks are not always well maintained, and the train sways to and fro making passengers scary.
Having run into a dead-end together with the country, Monzenskaya railway is now trying to find its way out. Private initiative has already given many jobs to locals who were unemployed when the Soviet wood behemoth went bankrupt. Owners of the railway are said to be looking for a strategic investor to bring new life to the Monzenskaya and its people.
