European Railroad Discussion > Murmansk and Archangel

I will take a cruise which visits the Russian arctic ports in July. I have a Russian visa. The cruise ship
will allow me to visit each of the cities for most of a day. Is there any local rail service in either
port? Is there light rail service in either Murmansk or Archangel?

Thank you very much.

renf Wrote:
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> I will take a cruise which visits the Russian
> arctic ports in July. I have a Russian visa. The
> cruise ship
> will allow me to visit each of the cities for most
> of a day. Is there any local rail service in
> either
> port? Is there light rail service in either
> Murmansk or Archangel?

Both ports are rail served, I can't say how much rail traffic either place has. As far as I know neither place has Light Rail(trams).

Anybody know what the security situation is up there? Back in the Soviet era, that was a super-sensitive area.

march_hare Wrote:
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> Anybody know what the security situation is up
> there? Back in the Soviet era, that was a
> super-sensitive area.

Well Murmansk is the home port of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet...I would guess it's still fairly sensitive.

Why would anyone want to go there, particularly on a cruise?

jfrank39 Wrote:
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> Why would anyone want to go there, particularly on
> a cruise?

Why go anywhere? Unless it's for "shopping"? I guess the same reason that people would wish to go to San Diego or Newport News. They're all the same except for climatic variations.

newtonville150 Wrote:
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> march_hare Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Anybody know what the security situation is up
> > there? Back in the Soviet era, that was a
> > super-sensitive area.
>
> Well Murmansk is the home port of the Russian
> Navy's Northern Fleet...I would guess it's still
> fairly sensitive.


These days it's not restricted in any way. There's a nice museum to the Northern Fleet and more than a few tourists travel there just to take pictures of the Russian Navy. I doubt anyone would give you a second look.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/northern-european-russia/murmansk

Russia seems to have opened up greatly, if the reports from the World Cup are anything to go by

Posted from Android

In the last few years I've been to both Kaliningrad and Vlasdivostok - both of which were previously closed ports.  Both had tram lines and friendly people.  Security at the station in Kaliningrad actually allowed me out on a platform to take a picture of the plinthed steam engine.

As for cruising.  In April I was "forced" to take a transAtlantic cruise to Europe to go and photograph a Steam Spectacle in Trier Germany.  As soon as the Oosterdam docked in Madeira, Lisbon, Huevla/Seville, Malaga, and Cartagena, I was off the ship and off to the railway station.  Lisbon, and Sevilla have interesting tram lines.

Madeira Railway Station you say??  Well, we went to where the wicker baskets come down the hill - a rather unique local transit solution mow mainly for tourists.