29. Case 25: Trans-Siberian Railway

Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest single rail system in the world. It connects Moscow in the west with Far East city of Vladivostok and passes through the cities of Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita and Khabarovsk. The project covered a distance of 9289 km. The project was originally conceived by Tsar Alexander III. The construction work of the railroad began in the year 1891. The project had great significance in the economic, military and imperial history of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The project connected Moscow to Vladivostok in the year 1904. There are three rail routes that traverse Siberia from Moscow. The Trans-Siberian route from Moscow to the Pacific terminus of Vladivostok. The Trans-Mongolian route connects Moscow to Beijing via Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Trans Manchurian route connects Siberia and Manchuria to Beijing. Thus the Trans-Siberian railway spans across three countries and crosses the two continents of Europe and Asia. The Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the most impressive engineering feats in modern history. The Trans-Siberian Railway or the Great Siberian Route is the main railroad artery which connects the European part of Russia with Siberia and the far east regions. The Trans-Siberian Railroad connects two parts of world and connects five federal districts of the Russian Federation. The European part of the project covers approximately 19% of the total length of the railway while 81% is covered by the Asian region. Covering over 5 million square miles, the region constitutes 77% of Russian land but yet has only a population of 36 million. This world’s longest train route traverses eight time zones from Moscow to Vladivostok. Trans-Siberian Rail system introduced computer tracking system to monitor the movement of containers along the railway. The Trans-Siberian railroad covers more than 80% of Russia’s industrial and natural resources region.