Vladimir Putin said that these sections of railway need additional cargo capacity. Speaking among other things about the completion of tunnelling in the Kuznetsovsky Tunnel's main gallery, Mr Putin noted that rapidly growing trade between Russia and the countries of the Asian-Pacific region suggests that even now measures to increase the cargo capacities of both the Baikal-Amur Railway and the Trans-Siberian Railway should be considered.

"We must plan this even now, in advance," he stressed.

"Bearing in mind the development of Sakha (Yakutia) and the eastern Siberian regions of Russia, it is obvious that the existing infrastructure will become inadequate in the coming years," Mr Putin added. "The state is investing significant funding. I hope that the facilities will meet the interests of the state in terms of both quality and price. Everything must be done to minimise costs, not raise prices, the work must be accomplished on schedule and at a high quality standard."

In reference to the Manchurian branch of the Trans-Baikal Railway, the prime minister stressed that trade with China is growing and will continue to grow.

Mr Putin cited data showing the volume of cargo from China is 23% higher than in the mid-1980s, the most active years of the Soviet era.

"Our trade volume will increase, so I hope that all reconstruction plans will be fulfilled, but that alone will not be enough," Mr Putin said, instructing Transport Minister Igor Levitin to think about how cargo capacities could be expanded.

Vladimir Putin also instructed the heads of the relevant ministries to review proposals to shorten the reconstruction time of the Roki Tunnel by one year. The Transcaucasian Highway, the only year-round road directly connecting North and South Ossetia, passes through the tunnel.

During the videoconference, Mr Putin said that builders had proposed to complete the first phase of reconstruction by October 2011, eight to nine months ahead of schedule, and to launch the major, second phase of the project in late 2011.

"This will help prevent unnecessary downtime with a fully-formed construction workforce, numbering 600 workers," said a company representative. "And most importantly, it will enable us to reduce the construction time of the main tunnel by more than a year."

Vladimir Putin, in turn, emphasised the importance of the Roki Tunnel to the Russian North Caucasus and South Ossetia and promised to follow the lead of the builders' initiative.

"We all understand perfectly well what the Roki Tunnel means for the North Caucasus of Russia and the Republic of South Ossetia," said Mr Putin. "It is a vital artery."

"So we will consider your offer," he added. "I ask the ministers to analyse the schedule and funding."

"The work is extremely important," he said. "We expect that it will be done on schedule, and perhaps even ahead of time, as you suggest. Our task is to ensure adequate funding, and yours is to ensure quality."

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin then examined an exhibition depicting the development of the Novorossiysk transport hub. He emphasised that it is essential to increase its carrying capacity with due account of the interests of the residents of Novorossiysk. According to the prime minister, it is necessary for transport routes to circumvent the city in order to relieve residents of enormous cargo shipments via the port. "The residents of the city need a crossover, and the work on it must begin next year," Putin demanded. "The 2012-2013 budget has already allocated funds for relieving the city's residents of the enormous cargo flow, and it is now necessary to conduct other procedures, in particular, by allotting land for this purpose," he said.

The prime minister then set forth another task, ordering that by 2015, the new port of Taman handle 35 million tonnes of cargo per year and 65 million tonnes by 2020. He specified that the port must be able to accommodate large-capacity vessels.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin instructed Minister of Transport Igor Levitin to transfer the workers and equipment engaged in the construction of the Olympic facilities in Sochi to the reconstruction of the Dzhubga-Sochi motorway upon the completion of their work. "As soon as Olympic infrastructure facilities are completed in Sochi, it is necessary to apply the workers and equipment to the reconstruction of the Dzhubga-Sochi motorway," Putin said.