The Trans-Siberian Railway, which was formerly called 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 slightly less than 10,000 km. The direction of the road is Moscow-Vladivostok. These are the starting and ending points for following trains on it. That is, the beginning of the Trans-Siberian Railway is Moscow, and the end is Vladivostok. Naturally, trains follow in both directions.
Why was the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway necessary?
The giant regions of the Far East, Eastern and Western Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century remained divorced from the rest of the Russian Empire. That is why the need has ripened for the creation of a road along which one could get there with minimal expense of time and money. It was necessary to draw railroads through Siberia. N.N. Muravyov-Amursky, Governor-General of all Eastern Siberia, officially voiced in 1857 the question 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 were required in the construction of the highway. Its cost, according to preliminary calculations by the Committee for the Construction of the Siberian Railway, amounted to 350 million rubles in gold.
First work
A special expedition, led by A.I. Ursati, O.P. Vyazemsky and N.P. Mezheninov, was sent in 1887 in order to outline the optimal location of the route for passing the railway.
The most intractable and acute was the problem of providing labor for construction. The solution was to send the “army of permanent labor reserve” to compulsory work. Soldiers and prisoners made up the bulk of the builders. The housing conditions in which they worked were unbearably difficult. Workers were housed in dirty, cramped huts, in which there was not even a floor. Sanitary conditions, of course, left much to be desired.
How was the road built?
Manually performed all the work. The most primitive tools were a shovel, a saw, an ax, a wheelbarrow and a pick. Despite all the inconveniences, approximately 500-600 km of track were laid annually. Carrying out a grueling daily struggle with the forces of nature, engineers and construction workers coped with honor with the task of constructing the Great Siberian Way in a short time.
Creation of the Great Siberian Way
By the 90s, the South Ussuri, Transbaikal and Central Siberian railways were almost completed. The Committee of Ministers in 1891, in February, decided that it was already possible to begin work on the creation of the Great Siberian Route.
In three stages we planned to build a highway. The first is the West Siberian road. The next is Transbaikal, from Mysova to Sretensk. And the last stage is the Circum-Baikal, from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk.
Of the two final points, the construction of the highway began simultaneously. The western branch in 1898 reached Irkutsk. At that time, passengers here needed to change ferries, overcoming 65 kilometers on Lake Baikal. When it was chained with ice, the icebreaker made its way for the ferry. This weighing 4267 tons of colossus was made in England to order. Gradually, the rails laid along the southern shore of Lake Baikal, and the need for it disappeared.
Difficulties during the construction of the highway
In severe climatic and environmental conditions, the construction of the highway took place. The track was laid almost throughout its length along a deserted or sparsely populated area, in impassable taiga. Crossed the Trans-Siberian Railway many lakes, the mighty rivers of Siberia, areas of permafrost and increased bogging. For builders, the site located around Lake Baikal was extremely difficult. In order to pave the way here, it was necessary to blow up rocks, as well as erect artificial structures.
They did not contribute to the construction of such a large-scale facility as the Trans-Siberian Railway, environmental conditions. In the places of its construction during the two summer months, up to 90% of the annual rainfall fell. Brooks turned into a powerful stream of water 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 greatly complicated its construction. High water did not begin in the spring, but in August or July. Up to 10-12 strong rises of water happened over the summer. Also, work was carried out in winter, when frosts reached -50 degrees. People warmed themselves in tents. Naturally, they often hurt.
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 magistral. For strategic reasons, this line was located much to the north, at a sufficient distance from the Chinese border.
1897 flood
The catastrophic flood occurred in 1897. More than 200 years was not equal to him. A powerful stream more than 3 meters high demolished the built embankments. The flood was destroyed by the city of Dorodinsk, which was founded in the early 18th century. Because of this, it was necessary to significantly adjust the initial project, according to which the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was carried out: the route had to be moved to new places, build protective structures, raise embankments, and strengthen slopes. The builders first met permafrost here.
In 1900, the Trans-Baikal Railway began to operate. And at the Mozgon station in 1907, the world's first building, which still exists, was erected in permafrost. In Greenland, Canada and Alaska, they adopted a new method of constructing permafrost facilities.
Location of the road, the city of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The next route is taken by a train departing along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The road follows the direction Moscow-Vladivostok. A train leaves the capital, crosses the Volga, and then turns towards the Urals to the southeast, where about 1800 km from Moscow passes the border between Asia and Europe. From Yekaterinburg, located in the Urals, a large industrial center, lies the path to Novosibirsk and Omsk. Through the Ob, one of the most powerful rivers in Siberia with intensive shipping, the train goes further to Krasnoyarsk located on the Yenisei. After this, the Trans-Siberian Railway follows to Irkutsk, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal overcomes a mountain range. Having cut off one of the corners of the Gobi desert and passing Khabarovsk, the train leaves for the final destination - Vladivostok. This is the direction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
87 cities are located on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Their population is from 300 thousand to 15 million people. The centers of the constituent entities 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, and about 20% of oil refining and 25% of the volume of industrial wood are also produced. About 80% of natural resources are located here, including timber, coal, gas, oil, as well as non-ferrous and ferrous metals.
Through the border stations of Naushki, Zabaikalsk, Grodekovo, Hassan in the east, the Trans-Siberian Railway provides access to the network of roads in 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 in the world. The track here, 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;
- Manchurian;
- Transbaikal;
- Central Siberian;
- West Siberian;
- Ussuri.
Description of road sections
The Ussuri road, the length of which is 769 km, and the number of points along its route is 39, entered into constant operation in November 1897. It was the first railway in the Far East.
In 1892, in June, the construction of the West Siberian began. It passes, except for the watershed between the Irtysh and Ishim, along the flat terrain. Only near bridges over large rivers does it rise up. The route deviates from the line only for bypassing ravines, ponds, river crossings.
In 1898, in January, the Central Siberian road began to be built. On its length there are bridges across the rivers Kiya, Uda, Oia, Tom. L. D. Proskuryakov designed a unique bridge passing through the Yenisei.
Transbaikal is part of the Great Siberian Railway. It begins on Baikal, from the station Mysova, and ends on the Amur River, at the pier of Sretensk. A highway 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 direction of A.N. Pushechnikov, an engineer.
After signing the agreement between China and Russia, the development of the Trans-Siberian Railway continued with the construction of another road, the Manchurian Railway, which connects the Siberian Railway with Vladivostok. Through traffic from Chelyabinsk to Vladivostok allowed to open this route, the length of which is 6503 km.
The last to start was the construction of the Circum-Baikal site (in 1900), since it was the most expensive and difficult area. Engineer Liverovsky led the construction of its most difficult stretch between Cape Sharazhangay and Aslomov. The length of the highway is the 18th part of the total length of the entire railway. A quarter of the total cost was required by its construction. A 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.
The value of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The great achievement of our people was the creation of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway took place on humiliation, blood and bones, but the workers nevertheless completed this great work. A huge amount of cargo and passengers allowed to transport this road around the country. Uninhabited Siberian territories were settled thanks to its construction. The direction of the Trans-Siberian Railway contributed to their economic development.