The length of the largest railway in the world is 9298.2 km. It is called the Trans-Siberian Railway, or, otherwise, the Trans-Siberian Railway. What is noteworthy: this path passes through the territory of Russia, and it is the longest railway in the world, connecting Europe and Asia.
When did the construction start?
The Trans-Siberian Railway began to be laid in 1891. At that time, the future Emperor Nicholas II laid the first stone of the Ussuri railway, not far from Vladivostok. Then it was not even supposed that the construction would take on such a massive scale. Only after a while the idea was put forward to create a railway line that would run to the European part of Russia.
On the recommendation of Witte, who initiated the project, a special committee was formed, the chairman of which was appointed Tsarevich Nikolai. The heir to the throne had previously made a long trip from the shores of the Pacific Ocean through the territory of Siberia, and given the scale of his empire, Nicholas II came to the conclusion that the project was necessary.
The value of the Trans-Siberian Railway
This route connects Moscow with the major industrial cities of the country, which are located in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. In fact, the longest railway in the world crosses the entire territory of the country, connecting the capital and Vladivostok. To be more precise, it connects the European part of the country, Siberia, the Urals, the Far East, and, in general, ports to Europe and Asia.
The longest railway in the world passes through 87 Russian cities, crossing two continents, 5 Central Federal District, 8 time zones. By the way, in percentage terms, the length of this railway in the Asian part of the country is 81%, and the rest is in Europe. It is not surprising that the Trans-Siberian Railway is the largest railway in the world. Where this highway is located and which continents it connects is clear from the above information.
Construction of a railway line from Asia to Europe
Now it seems unbelievable, but the longest railway in the world was being built at a very fast pace: in 13.5 years (from 1891 to 1904), the road was laid from Miass and Kotlas to Vladivostok and Port Arthur. Given the difficult conditions in which workers worked on the construction of the highway, the speed of its construction was incredible, even by today's standards. It should be remembered that in those days the level of technical equipment was much lower than now.
The area in which the longest railway in the world was being built was mainly not developed by man before: most of it was occupied by areas where permafrost reigned, steel gauge passed through large rivers and bridges. In the process of hard work, the workers had to overcome many difficulties in order to build this road. Bridges were laid across powerful Siberian rivers, tunnels were built, and other work was carried out that required a lot of effort and money.
And finally, in October 1905, the end of this enormous work came. The birthday of the Trans-Siberian Railway is considered September 18 (October 1), 1904. It is worth noting that after this date the work did not stop for many more years. So, the second track was completed in Soviet times, namely in 1938.
As a result, now the most extreme points of the highway relative to the cardinal points are: Moscow-3 in the west, Khabarovsk-2 in the east, Kirov in the north, and Vladivostok in the south. The beginning of the Trans-Siberian Railway - Yaroslavsky Station (Moscow), completion - the eastern outskirts of Russia (Vladivostok Station).
Interesting facts and records
The Siberian railway has no equal in the world in many respects, and not only in its size. The speed of construction, the scale of the work, the severity of the conditions in which it was necessary to work, are impressive. One cannot fail to mention some facts related to the construction of the described path:
- As already noted, the project was carried out at a high pace - it amounted to 740 km per year, which is a serious indicator even for modern construction.
- As a result of continuous and hard work, the Western line of the road already in 1898 approached Irkutsk.
- Instead of the various equipment that now does most of the work, the enormous power of the workers was involved at that time. So, for example, in 1895-1896, about 90 thousand people participated in the construction. Among them, among others, were prisoners and soldiers.
- The highest point of the route is the Apple Pass - here the railway rises 1019 m above sea level. It is located between the stations Yablonovaya and Turgutui. The second highest point (900 m) is located at the Kizha station, and just below 900 m is the Andrianov pass.
- The most severe climate point through which the Trans-Siberian Railway passes is the Mogocha-Skovorodino section. The temperature here drops to -62 ° C, there is a permafrost zone.
- The fastest train runs from Moscow to Vladivostok in 6 days 2 hours.
- The most mild climates are in the Vladivostok area. It is worth noting that basically the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through places with a harsh or temperate climate.
- It is noted that the actual length of the railway is slightly less and amounts to 9288, 2 km (5772 miles). This figure is indicated on the sign, which is installed at the end of the highway, in Vladivostok. The sign in Moscow, denoting the zero kilometer, has designations in the form of two digits: 0 and 9298 km. It indicates exactly the tariff length by which ticket prices are calculated.
- Complete electrification of the road was completed in 2002.
- In Europe, the length of the path was 1777 km, in Asia - 7512 km. The conditional border of these two continents is located on the 1778 kilometer of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In this place, near the city of Pervouralsk, a commemorative sign is installed called "The border of Europe and Asia."
Branches from the main Trans-Siberian route
As we already know, the longest railway in the world connects Moscow and Vladivostok, but, in addition to the main highway, there are several branches. Let's consider them in more detail.
In the period from 1940 to 1956, the Trans-Mongolian highway was built: it ran between the city of Ulan-Ude and Beijing. The road from Ulan-Ude goes south, crossing the entire territory of Mongolia, and the final point is the capital of China. The distance between the two capitals along this highway is 7867 km.
At Karymskaya station, there is another branch from the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The railway line turns after it in a southeast direction, passing through Zabaikalsk and Manchuria. As well as the Trans-Mongolian highway, it reaches the capital of China. The length of this route from Moscow to Beijing is almost 9,000 kilometers.
In 1984, the Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM) was officially opened. The starting point of this path is the city of Taishet, and the end is Sovetskaya Gavan (a city on the Pacific Ocean). BAM is located north of the Trans-Siberian Railway for several hundred kilometers and runs parallel to the main railway.
Line construction cost
Before embarking on a project for the construction of the Great Siberian Route, the costs that its construction would incur were calculated. The figure turned out to be considerable - 350 million rubles in gold. In order to reduce the cost of production, as well as accelerate its pace, for the line that ran from Chelyabinsk to the Ob River, simplified specifications were taken. The construction of the entire road had to spend a huge amount equal to almost 1.5 billion rubles (for the money of that time).
Transsib - the great railway
So, the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses 2 republics, 12 regions, 5 territories, 1 district, 1 autonomous region. The highway passes through 87 cities.
This railway crosses many major rivers on its way (there are 16 in total): the Volga, Vyatka, Irtysh, Kama, Tobol, Yenisei, Tom, Chulym, Ussuri, Amur, Khor, Selenga, Oka, Bureya, Zeya. The widest intersection among them is on the Amur River (2 km). The same indicator for such rivers as the Ob and Yenisei is 1 km, since the railway passes through them only in the upper reaches.
The most dangerous river that the Transsiberian encounters along the way is the Khor. During the flood period, it can rise to a height of 9 m. And the Transbaikal Khilok River in 1897 during the flood period caused the greatest damage to the main line in its entire history. It then destroyed most of the western section of the Transbaikal road. Following the Transsib, you can see the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal. It runs along it for 207 km.
Now we know what the longest railway in the world is, and where it is located. The scale of its construction is truly impressive, and for a long time it has maintained its record in its length. The longest railway in the world, which is called the Trans-Siberian Railway, is the real pride of Russia.
