The Orient Express has the literary cache, and
India’s Palace on Wheels has the opulence, but the
greatest train journey on Earth is without doubt the
Trans-Siberian Railway. For more than 100 years,
locomotives – first steam trains, then diesel and
electric engines – have run the 9,289 kilometres
between Moscow and Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan.
The world’s longest railway crosses seven time zones
and the journey takes at least a week to complete.
Those yet to travel through Siberia might think
of the route as bleak, but as one fortunate to have
ridden the rails the full length of the line, I know it
to be a place of stark natural beauty and unexpected
geographical diversity. Looking back on the Trans-
Siberian’s first century, its construction required
vision, determination, and a gamble that technology
would catch up fast enough to enable the project’s
completion. It is one of the world’s great masterpieces
of engineering, a tribute to the men and women who
conceived, designed, and built it.
The Origins of the TR ANS-SIBERIAN
The history of railways in Russia dates back to 1837,
just eight years after George Stephenson invented
his Rocket. The first line linked Saint Petersburg and
the imperial palace at Tsarskoye Selo, 16 kilometres
away. Though it was seen as a something of a toy,
it was quickly followed by lines from Saint Petersburg
to Moscow, Warsaw and, on a more challenging scale,
the Trans-Caspian Railway, linking Russia with its
newly gained territories in Central Asia.
In 1860, the Treaty of Beijing granted Russia
land in the Far East, including what would become
Vladivostok. The Russians were acutely aware, however,
that they had no means of defending this territory
should the Chinese decide to repossess it. The Great
Highway only reached as far as Nerchinsk and was, in
any case, impassable for at least five months of the year.
Few of the rivers were navigable, even in summertime.
A railway was the obvious solution.far left Rail travel is a
popular choice for Russians
as it is convenient, reliable,
and affordable
bottom left Stories, games,
food and drinks are often
shared among riders
top Construction work on
the Eastern Siberian Railway
near Khabarovskleft A family in their kupé en
route to Yekaterinburgbelow In Chita, you are
greeted by the Church of
Our Lady of Kazan and a
statue of Alexander Nevskyabove The Khilok Station
in Chita OblastLooking back on the Trans-
Siberian’s first century, its
construction required vision,
determination, and a gamble
that technology would catch
up fast enough
IMAGES © WIKICOMMONSheritage