The Mzymta river gushes forth from the mountains into the Black Sea, leaving a gorge of such size behind it, that it is visible from space. On the right bank of the river, the vigilant observer will note a thin ribbon of tarmac snaking along, linking the mountain ski resorts with the subtropical city of Sochi. It is soon obvious that this narrow, two lane highway is by no means large enough to handle the volume of traffic expected during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Russian Railways is constructing an entirely new transport route, stretching 48.2 kilometres from the town of Adler. The route will consist both of railway lines and roads. This new, linked route will follow mostly along the left bank of the Mzymta, while in certain places crossing right over the river itself. This is possible thanks to the fact that the route will run, in the large part, along bridges, embankments, and overpasses. As opposed to the majority of winding mountain roads, this route draws a straight line directly through the mountains in its path: The work required includes the drilling of 12 tunnels totalling 27 kilometres in length.

This linked route will of course serve as a vital passenger transport service for the Olympics; but longer term, it will also serve as the central transport infrastructure link for the entire region. To enhance this function, numerous junctions are being built into the project, to link the new route with the existing roads network, and the M-27 motorway. Additionally, full scale railway transport links are planned between Adler, Vesyoloye and the mountain resorts, by means of the Esto-Sadok and Alpika-Servis stations.