The concept for the North-Siberian Railway, intended to connect the Trans-Siberian Railway with the North Sea Route, is set to be presented at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in the summer of 2024. Gennady Guselnikov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 'Siberian Agreement,' an interregional association of Siberian Federal District (SFD) regions involved in the project, informed TASS.

'This is a task that we, all of Siberia, grappled with when agreeing on the implementation plan [of the SFD development strategy]. The chairman of the MASS council, Sergey Evgenyevich [Tsivilev, governor of Kuzbass], has ambitious plans. We aim to conceptually present the project no later than at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum,' said the agency's source.

He clarified that the SFD regions currently require a route different from the Trans-Siberian Railway. 'The economy of Siberia is confined within its own boundaries, and our major cargoes are grain, fertiliser and coal, hence we require access to the North Sea Route,' noted Guselnikov.

He mentioned that one of the future road's branches will lead to the Arctic, with potential access points being considered at the Gulf of Ob in Yamburg or at the port of Sabbeta. It is planned for another branch of the road to extend to China, passing through the Siberian regions.