From June 20, a new ferry, Olkhon Gates, will begin running between MRS and Olkhon, operating until 2 a.m. and for now remaining free for tourists. The article describes the schedule, funding, and how the new ferry differs from the old Dorozhnik in capacity, load capacity, and navigation season.
From June 20, a new ferry, “Olkhonskiye Vorota,” will begin operating between the mainland and Olkhon Island, with the first trip scheduled for 10 a.m.As Svetlana Moroyeva, deputy head of the department of artificial structures at the OGU “Directorate for the Construction and Operation of Roads of the Irkutsk Region,” said, the ferry will operate until 2 a.m. with a 30-35 minute break. The ferry schedule will be posted at the ferry crossing.
According to Moroyeva, for now the ferry crossing will be free for Baikal tourists, since the funds for its operation come from the regional budget. In total, 24 million rubles have been allocated for the ferry crossing this season, including 19 million rubles for servicing the new ferry and 5 million rubles for the old “Dorozhnik” ferry.
The amount required to operate the new ferry is higher because it has greater cargo capacity, passenger capacity, and a longer navigation period, Moroyeva clarified. Thus, the “Olkhonskiye Vorota” ferry, with a cargo capacity of 140 tons, can take up to 96 people and 16 passenger cars, whereas the “Dorozhnik” has a cargo capacity of 40 tons. At the same time, it can take up to 50 passengers and 6-7 passenger cars. The navigation period for the “Dorozhnik” is from May 20 to August 31, and for the “Olkhonskiye Vorota” from May 20 to December 15.