Asian Geographic – Special Edition 2017-2018

The Trans-Siberian

Railway Routes

The Rossiya leaves Moscow every

second day for its six-night, 9,259

kilometre journey to Vladivostok.

This line was built over the course of

25 years between 1891 and 1916

1 Vladivostok

2 Khabarovsk

3 Chita

4 Ulan-Ude

5 Irkutsk

6 Krasnoyarsk

7 Tomsk

8 Omsk

9 Yekaterinburg

10 Perm

11 Nizhny Novgorod

12 Suzdal

13 Moscow

Trans-Siberian Line

The Ural Line gets its name from the

Ural Mountains, and connects Saint-

Petersburg and Chelyabinsk, passing

through Moscow and Samara

Ural Line

Beginning in Taishet, the line crosses

huge sections of permafrost and

stops where the Pacific Ocean begins,

just north of Hokkaido in Japan

Baikal-Amur Mainline

This line begins in Moscow, and

traverses Mongolia to its terminus in

Beijing. A popular scenic route, the

Trans-Mongolian line passes Lake

Baikal and crosses the Gobi desert

and the Mongolian steppe

Trans Mongolian Line

This seven-day route connects

Moscow and Beijing, taking

passengers past the spectacular Onon

River in Russia and the Da Hinggan

Ling mountains in China

Trans Manchurian Line

Moscow Kazan

Yekaterinburg

Black Sea

Caspian

Sea

EUROPE

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10

13 12 11

Construction of the TR A NS-

SIBERIAN R ailway

Tsar Nicholas II inaugurated the construction of

the Trans-Siberian Railway in Vladivosktok in 1891.

The Russian government estimated the cost would

be £35 million (equivalent to around USD4.5 billion

today), and to cut the construction time, they planned

to work on all seven sections simultaneously.

The building of the railway was beset by problems

from the very beginning. Construction began before

surveying was complete, so the chosen route included

unanticipated geographical challenges, which were

expensive to overcome. There was a drastic shortage

of skilled labour, as some 62,000 men were needed.

If your budget allows for it, it’s infinitely

preferable to ride on the Golden Eagle Luxury

Train (www.goldeneagleluxurytrains.com;

from USD11,895), which is partially hauled by

steam locomotive. Tickets on this magnificent

private train come with guided tours at every

stop, a gourmet menu, and an exceptional

range of activities. It is an altogether more

civilised way to travel.