100 years of the Trans – Siberian Railway

Perhaps the world's most iconic train journey, the Trans-Siberian Railway connects Moscow with the far-eastern edge of Russia, with branch lines heading off to Mongolia and China. And this month marks 100 years since the final section was opened, in October 2016, after years in the making.

Exactly 100 years ago, upon its official completion, the trip took almost a month because the train trundled along at 20 miles an hour.Now the longest train line in the world, stretching more than 5,700 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian railway crosses two continents, 80 towns and cities, 16 large rivers and eight time zones.
 
Plans for the railroad were announced in 1891 by Tsar Alexander III. Years of construction followed, with convicts and labourers toughing it out against fiercely cold temperatures, passing bandits and even tiger attacks.Some of the terrain was so difficult to navigate that areas including Lake Baikal had to be blown up with explosives to push through.
 
Trains running on the track welcomed their first passengers aboard in 1904, but it wasn't officially completed until 1916.Electrification of the line commenced in 1929 and wasn't completed until 2002.These days, the journey attracts some tourists but is largely used to transport cargo, with around 30 per cent of all Russian exports travelling the line. 
 
However, many travellers choose to take the route that splits off at Ulan Ude in southern Russia, chugging through Mongolia and onwards to Beijing – this is the Trans-Mongolian line, which was completed in the 1950s.

October 20, 2016