The Baikal-Amur Mainline and Mobility: Experiences and Expectations

The Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) is a railway line built as part of the Soviet programme of "mastering the North" with the primary aim of resource development. During the main construction period, accompanied by communist propaganda a mass influx of labour force from across the Soviet Union occurred, new population groups and identities were shaped, and a multitude of settlements, from railway stations to larger cities, was founded. Until today, the BAM is not only a means of transport, but also a social phenomenon. 

This presentation is based on a study, conducted among people living and travelling in the greater BAM Region, which combines qualitative ethnographic material with a questionnaire-based mobility survey. The quantitative analysis correlates demographic variables to questions about satisfaction and expectations, experiences and memories, and gives insights into the social fabric of the local population. It assesses the effects of social configurations on the perceptions of the railway and its image, on the one hand, and its actual use and usage as passenger transport, on the other. 

This presentation highlights the theoretical need to understand the materiality of movement in conjunction to mobility represented on different scales over the course of time. This involves both the actual production of a railroad and the development of a region, both of which exercise power over their users and inhabitants, and their (im)mobility. Consequently, the different users and inhabitants are in demand of different services and infrastructural configurations. This contribution highlights the diversity of ways in which the social relates to the technical, and how the two make up a contested built environment.