The line was originally built in the late 19th Century during the rule of Czar Alexander III. Russia had always wanted a major port on the Pacific coast for a number of years and Vladivostok soon established itself. However, it became apparent that it would not survive, or at least not be able to compete with other ports, without a reliable transport link to the west. Alexander III began the construction of the railway in 1891 but he died before completion in 1894. Fortunately his son, Nicholas, continued in his father’s footsteps and despite the enormity of the project, a continuous route was completed in 1905, having been rushed to completion by the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War the year before. The present route of the line, including both the difficult stretch around Baikal and a northerly replacement for the dangerously situated Manchurian line, was opened in 1916.

The Trans-Siberian railway is the longest continuous track anyway in the world. It runs from Moscow in the West to Vladivostok is the Far East and covers one third of the world’s surface. The line is almost 6000 miles long (or 10000 kilometres). The pleasure of such a trip is simply sitting back and watching the land go by. However, most travellers on the Trans-Siberian find that interaction with other passengers, both Russian or other, is what makes the trip an unforgettable experience. In the modern day, with now far fewer travel restrictions, the journey can be only a part of a much more varied and exciting tour. Travellers can enjoy stops in many of the towns and cities along the way, ranging from the historic Volga port of Yaroslavl to Irkutsk and the scenic Lake Baikal region.

Most travel from west to east, but it is quite possible to travel in the opposite direction. What’s more, a number of other routes are available, as are extensions of the journey at either end. The most common route taken by travellers is the Trans-Siberian line, which runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, passing through Yaroslavl on the Volga, Ekaterinburg in the Urals, Irkutsk to Lake Baikal’s south, and then Khabarovsk. At Vladivostok there are ferries to take passangers over to Niigata on the West Coast of Japan. Other major towns along the way include Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk, both which were established in the early 17th century. The second most travelled route is the Trans-Manchurian line, which merges with the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya, a few hundred miles east of Baikal. From Tarskaya the Trans-Manchurian heads southeast into China and makes its way down to Beijing. The third most used route is the Trans-Mongolian line, which travels along with the Trans-Siberian as far as the Buddhist enclave of Ulan Ude on Baikal’s eastern shore. From Ulan-Ude the Trans- Mongolian heads south to Ulaan-Baatar before making it’s way southeast to Beijing. In the west links from Moscow can be made to St. Petersburg to the North or to other major European towns further west like Paris or Berlin.

Guy Burgoyne