Research objective: studies of economic and transport infrastructure development in the Arctic and Northern Territories of Russia. Research methodology: analysis of transport infrastructure in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the types of railways used in Russia. Results: economic development of any region is proportional to the development of the road transport infrastructure and logistics. When a conventional railway is operated in the Arctic conditions, it is not always possible to maintain a cargo turnover that would ensure its efficient use, and transshipment from one mode of transport to another is very problematic. A new type of railway is proposed, i.e. a light railway. Conclusions: the proposed new type of transport offers all the main advantages of narrow gauge railroads (high speed of construction, efficiency, etc.) and helps to eliminate their main disadvantage, i.e. the need for transloading when moving from a narrow gauge to the conventional one with the width of 1520 mm, along with a significant reduction in capital costs.