Tynda

Tynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia, located 568 kilometers northwest of Blagoveshchensk. It is an important railway junction, informally referred to as the capital of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The settlement of Shkaruby was founded in 1917 on the present site of Tynda, as a rest stop and winter camp on the route from the Amur to the newly discovered gold fields on the Timpton River, a tributary of the Aldan.

In 1932, plans for what would eventually become the Baikal-Amur Mainline BAM named Tynda as a possible future hub station. A 180-kilometer long rail line, connecting Tynda with BAM station known as Bamovskaya near Skovorodino on the Trans-Siberian Railway was constructed between 1933 and 1937, although this was then dismantled during World War II and the rails reused for other projects closer to the front. In 1941, Tynda was granted urban-type settlement status.

Tynda is the crossing point for the Baikal-Amur Mainline and Amur Yakutsk Mainline railways, the town's station is one of the most important on both lines and possesses a large locomotive depot. Other than railway-related activities, the town's economy relies largely on the timber industry, with the Tyndales corporation based here. The M56 motorway to Yakutsk also passes through the town. The town is served by the Tynda Airport, located 15 kilometers to the north. After being closed for a number of years, air services from Blagoveshchensk via Zeya resumed in 2007.