Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hammered in a silver spike to launch the construction on the first section of a new railway line – to stretch over 400 kilometres, from Kyzyl to Kuragino. Putin also unveiled a cornerstone to mark the launch of construction and spoke with local workers. "You have a lot of work ahead of you – certainly, at least four years' worth," Putin said, and then proceeded to wish the workers luck.

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Before the construction launch ceremony, Yenisei Industrial Company (YePC) president Ruslan Baisarov presented the railway project plan to the prime minister. According to Baisarov, the construction of the railway from Kyzyl to Kuragino will create 15,000 jobs and increase federal revenues through tax proceeds from YePC to 13 billion roubles. The YePC executive also said that the project will include the construction of roughly 170 bridges and tunnels, accounting for the project’s sizeable budget. Total investment in the project will be 136 billion roubles, with most of that sum (85.7 billion) financed by YePC. Vladimir Putin added, “Of this total, 49 [billion] will be allocated by the state.”