The Trans-Siberian Railway, formerly known as the Great Siberian Railway, today surpasses all railway lines on earth. It was built from 1891 to 1916, that is, almost a quarter of a century. Its length is just under 10,000 km. The direction of the road is Moscow-Vladivostok. These are the starting and ending points for trains. That is, the beginning of the Trans-Siberian Railway is Moscow, and the end is Vladivostok. Naturally, trains run in both directions.
Why was the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway necessary?
The gigantic regions of the Far East, Eastern and Western Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century remained cut off from the rest of the Russian Empire. That is why there is a need to create a road along which, with minimal cost and time, it would be possible toget there. It was necessary to build railway lines through Siberia. N. N. Muravyov-Amursky, Governor-General of all Eastern Siberia, in 1857 officially voiced the issue of construction on the Siberian outskirts.
Who financed the project?
Only by the 80s the government allowed the construction of the road. At the same time, it agreed to finance the construction on its own, without the support of foreign sponsors. Enormous investments required the construction of the highway. Its cost, according to preliminary calculations carried out by the Committee for the Construction of the Siberian Railway, amounted to 350 million rubles in gold.
First works
A special expedition, led by A. I. Ursati, O. P. Vyazemsky and N. P. Mezheninov, was sent in 1887 in order to identify the optimal location of the route for the passage of the railway.
The most intractable and acute problem was the provision of labor force for construction. The way out was the direction of the "army of a permanent labor reserve" for compulsory work. Soldiers and prisoners made up the bulk of the builders. The living conditions in which they worked were unbearably difficult. The workers were housed in dirty, cramped barracks, which did not even have a floor. Sanitary conditions, of course, left much to be desired.
How was the road built?
All work was done by hand. The most primitive were tools - a shovel, a saw, an ax, a wheelbarrow and a pick. Despite all the inconveniences, about 500-600 km of track were laid annually. Carrying out an exhausting daily struggle with the forces of nature, engineers and construction workers coped with the task of building the Great Siberian Route in a short time.
Creating the Great Siberian Route
Practically completed by the 90s were the South Ussuri, Transbaikal and Central Siberian railways. The Committee of Ministers in 1891, in February, decided that it was already possible to start work on the creation of the Great Siberian Route.
In three stages planned to build a highway. The first is the West Siberian road. The next one is Zabaikalskaya, from Mysovaya to Sretensk. And the last stage - Circum-Baikal, from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk.
The construction of the track began simultaneously from the two destinations. The western branch reached Irkutsk in 1898. At that time, passengers here had to transfer to the ferry, overcoming 65 kilometers on it along Lake Baikal. When it was ice-bound, the icebreaker made a path for the ferry. This colossus, weighing 4267 tons, was made in England to order. Gradually, the rails ran along the southern shore of Lake Baikal, and the need for it disappeared.
Difficulties during the construction of the highway
The construction of the highway took place in harsh climatic and natural conditions. The route was laid almost along its entire length through a deserted or sparsely populated area, in impenetrable taiga. The Trans-Siberian Railway crossed numerous lakes, the mighty rivers of Siberia, areas of permafrost and increased swampiness. For builders exceptional difficultiesrepresented a site located around Lake Baikal. In order to build a road here, it was necessary to blow up the rocks, as well as erect artificial structures.
The natural conditions did not contribute to the construction of such a large-scale facility as the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the places of its construction, up to 90% of the annual precipitation fell during two summer months. The brooks turned into mighty water streams in a few hours of rain. Large areas of fields were flooded with water in areas where the Trans-Siberian Railway is located. Natural conditions made its construction very difficult. The flood did not begin in the spring, but in August or July. Up to 10-12 strong rises of water happened during the summer. Also, work was carried out in winter, when frosts reached -50 degrees. People warmed up in tents. Naturally, they often got sick.
In the east of the country in the mid-50s a new branch was laid - from Abakan to Komsomolsk-on-Amur. It is located parallel to the main highway. This line, for strategic reasons, was located much to the north, at a sufficient distance from the Chinese border.
Flood of 1897
A catastrophic flood occurred in 1897. For more than 200 years there was no equal to him. A powerful stream with a height of more than 3 meters demolished the built embankments. The flood destroyed the city of Dorodinsk, which was founded in the early 18th century. Because of this, it was necessary to significantly adjust the original project, according to which the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was carried out: the route had to be moved to new places, to build protective structures, to raise embankments, to strengthenslopes. Builders first encountered permafrost here.
In 1900, the Trans-Baikal Mainline began to operate. And at the Mozgon station in 1907, the first building in the world was built on permafrost, which still exists today. Greenland, Canada and Alaska have adopted a new method of building facilities on permafrost.
Location of the road, cities of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The train on the Trans-Siberian Railway makes the next route. The road follows the direction Moscow-Vladivostok. A train departs from the capital, crosses the Volga, and then turns towards the Urals to the southeast, where, about 1,800 km from Moscow, it passes the border between Asia and Europe. From Yekaterinburg, a large industrial center located in the Urals, there is a path to Novosibirsk and Omsk. Through the Ob, one of the most powerful rivers in Siberia with intensive shipping, the train goes on to Krasnoyarsk, located on the Yenisei. After that, the Trans-Siberian Railway follows to Irkutsk, along the southern shore of Lake Baikal overcomes the mountain range. Having cut off one of the corners of the Gobi Desert and passing Khabarovsk, the train departs for its final destination - Vladivostok. This is the direction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
87 cities are located on the Trans-Siberian. Their population is from 300 thousand to 15 million people. The centers of the subjects of the Russian Federation are 14 cities through which the Trans-Siberian Railway passes.
In the regions it serves, coal is mined in the amount of more than 65% of all produced in Russia, andapproximately 20% of oil refining and 25% of commercial wood output. About 80% of deposits of natural resources are located here, including timber, coal, gas, oil, as well as ores of non-ferrous and ferrous metals.
Through the border stations of Naushki, Zabaikalsk, Grodekovo, Khasan in the east, the Trans-Siberian Railway provides access to the road network of Mongolia, China and North Korea, and in the west, through border crossings with the former republics of the USSR and Russian ports, to European countries.
Features of the Trans-Siberian Railway
Two parts of the world (Asia and Europe) were connected by the longest railway on earth. The track here, as well as on all other roads of our country, is wider than the European one. It is 1.5 meters.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is divided into several sections:
- Amur road;
- Circum-Baikal;
- Manchu;
- Trans-Baikal;
- Middle Siberian;
- West Siberian;
- Ussuri.
Description of road sections
The Ussuriyskaya road, the length of which is 769 km, and the number of points on its way is 39, entered into permanent operation in November 1897. It was the first railway in the Far East.
In 1892, in June, construction began on the West Siberian. It passes, except for the watershed between the Irtysh and Ishim, through flat terrain. Only near bridges over large rivers does it rise. The route deviates from a straight line only to bypass ravines, reservoirs, crossrec.
In 1898, in January, the construction of the Central Siberian road began. Along its length there are bridges across the rivers Kiya, Uda, Iya, Tom. L. D. Proskuryakov designed a unique bridge across the Yenisei.
Zabaikalskaya is part of the Great Siberian Railway. It starts on Baikal, from the Mysovaya station, and ends on the Amur, at the Sretensk pier. The route runs along the shore of Lake Baikal, on its way there are many mountain rivers. In 1895, the construction of the road began under the leadership of A. N. Pushechnikov, an engineer.
After the signing of an agreement between China and Russia, the development of the Trans-Siberian Railway continued with the construction of another road, the Manchurian, connecting the Siberian Railway with Vladivostok. Through traffic from Chelyabinsk to Vladivostok was opened by this route, which is 6503 km long.
The construction of the Circum-Baikal section was the last to begin (in 1900), since it was the most expensive and difficult area. Engineer Liverovsky led the construction of its most difficult segment between Capes Sharazhangai and Aslomov. The length of the main line is the 18th part of the total length of the entire railway. A quarter of the total cost was required for its construction. The train passes through 12 tunnels and 4 galleries along this route.
The Amur road began to be built in 1906. It is divided into the East Amur and North Amur lines.
Meaning of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The creation of the Trans-Siberian Railway was a great achievement of our people. Construction of the Trans-Siberianthe highway took place on humiliation, blood and bones, but the workers nevertheless completed this great work. This road made it possible to transport a huge number of goods and passengers around the country. The deserted Siberian territories were populated thanks to its construction. The direction of the Trans-Siberian Railway contributed to their economic development.
