The Trans-Siberian Express is the longest train journey in the world.

The route takes you from

ancient Russian cities through deep forests and breathtaking mountains to Siberian outposts
and into Asia. You will visit Buddhist temples, Lake Baikal, the Ural
Mountains, Vladivostok or Beijing.

The main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway starts in Moscow and goes east to Vladivostok
passing through Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Chita,
Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk. The length of the route is 9259 km or 5753 miles. The train
travels through 7 time zones and takes 8 days to complete without making overnight stops.
The Trans-Siberian splits off into a few other interesting directions as well:

The Trans-Mongolian Line was built from 1940 to 1956 between Ulan-Ude at Lake Baikal's
eastern shore and the Chinese capital Beijing. From Ulan-Ude the tracks go south, towards
Mongolia, crossing the large Gobi desert and finally ending up in Beijing. This route is a mere
7867 kilometers long (Moscow - Beijing).

The Trans-Manchurian Line coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya, which is a few
hundred miles east of Baikal. From Tarskaya, the line heads southeast into China near
Zabaikalsk and makes its way down to Beijing. This route is a 9001 kilometres long (Moscow -
Beijing).

History:

The impetus for the Trans-Siberian came mostly from the economic problems associated with
Russia's size, but, as the project developed, it became the focus of national pride. Despite these
worthy motivations, the great railroad was a long time in planning, and it was constructed
even more slowly.

Already in the middle of the nineteenth century the building of a railroad to the outskirts of
Siberia was proposed, but that was only the beginning of the story. Foreign companies were
among those proposing different kinds of railway projects in the nineteenth century, but the
Russian Tsars didn't really want foreign influence in Siberia and the Far East. So, finally, it was
decided to build the road using funds from Russia’s treasury.

Construction began In February 1891, starting simultaneously from Chelyabinsk and

Vladivostok.

The whole project was hampered by harsh climactic conditions. Almost the entire length of the
railroad was built through thinly-populated areas in the impassable taiga. The huge Russian
taiga included additional challenges in the form of the many large rivers that run through
Siberia, many lakes, and districts that were either extremely waterlogged or filled with
permafrost. The most exceptional difficulties the builders experienced were in the Baikal
region, where it was necessary to blow up mountains for the construction of railway tunnels as
well as construct railway bridges to traverse the canyons of the many mountain rivers that
flow into Lake Baikal.

Despite these challenges, up to 600 km of railway road were laid every day. The incredibly fast
pace of the construction – it was completed in a mere 12 years – amazed the world. With the
help of 7.5 thousand kilometers of railroad, Europe was finally connected to the Pacific Ocean.

The Final Stage

The railway communication from Chelyabinsk to the Pacific Ocean through the territory of the
Russian Empire was officially completed in October of 1916.

The Road to the Future

A Russian writer once wrote: "If you glance to the globe from the height of the bird's flight,
you'll see a huge cross on the Earth with the base being formed by the Great Trans-Siberian
Railroad from Brest to Vladivostok and across it the river Volga runs. Great Russia holds on to
this cross!"

To underline the significance of the Trans-Siberian today it is enough to say that the 100 year
anniversary in 2001 was celebrated widely. Its one centenary marked a sort of re-birth for the
railroad.

Current Challenges

The problem of optimizing the Trans-Siberian’s capacity remains. The Trans-Siberian is a

vehicle for communication between two continents. Cut it from one side and the flow of
freight dies. This is the case now, as the Trans-Siberian is blocked by shipping companies in the
far east. Resolving this problem is challenging, but good connections with South Korea and
other eastern countries with rapidly developing and improving economies could help. While
sea lanes are now taking the majority of the freight traffic between the east and west, if the
Trans-Siberian can improve and modernize its services there is a good chance that the Trans-
Siberian could become a highly-competitive alternative to sea transport.
Moscow

0 km

Russia’s political capital and financial as well as cultural center. The city includes several must
see attractions from the Kremlin and Red Square to the Assumption Cathedral. Moscow is the
largest city in Europe complete with everything one could expect.

Vladimir

209 km

2h 30min.

Built on the Klyza’ma River, Vladimir, founded in 995, was at one time a capital of Russia and
its political, cultural and religious center. It has a reputation for its unique cathedrals, four of
which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Some architectural gems requiring a visit, are the
Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral (1158-61) and the Golden Gate (1164).

Nizhny Novgorod

461 km

6h 30 min.

This city was founded in 1221 and was a trading center for people from the Orient, Siberia and
Turkistan. Formerly named Gorki, it held political exiles and was closed to outsiders for many
years. The city recently opened its doors for visitors and its many well preserved memorials
from the 13th and 14th centuries are an amazing attraction.

Omsk

2676 km

1d 13h 50min.

Originally built as a fortification for Russia’s southern border by Peter the Great's guardsman
Ivan Buchholz; when in spring of 1716 he and his detachment made a landing on the shore of
the Irtysh, at the place where this powerful Siberian river joins the quiet Om. Thus, was founded
the town of Omsk, which in our day has become the largest industrial and cultural center in
Siberia.
Baikalsk

5360 km

3d 6h 40min.

Baikalsk is home to a popular ski and snowboard resort.

Ulan-Ude

5609 km

3d 12h 20min.

Ulan-Ude, founded in 1666, is a capital of the Buryt Autonomous Republic, which in the 13 -
17th centuries was a part of the vast Mongolian Empire. This a classic example of the Eastern
influence in Russia.

- In Ulan-Ude, the Trans-Siberian splits into two different directions:

1) travels South though Guisinoye Ozero, Djida, Naushki (Russia) to Ulan-Bataar (Mongolia) to
Beijing (China) – Trans Mongolian.

2) travels East through Chita to Vladivostok – Trans-Siberian.

Vladivostok

9259 km

6d 5h 19min.

The termination of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1860, an army squad landed on the bank of
the Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn) bay and built barracks; it was the first building in Vladivostok.
Soon after that, Vladivostok became the main Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. An interesting
seaport to explore, but a little risky as well.
TRAINS

A journey on the Trans-Siberian Express 'Rossiya' is the longest train ride in the world. The
train made its first trip in 1966. It departs from Yaroslavsky train station in Moscow and, having
crossed two continents, arrives in Vladivostok in 6 days. The train links about 90 cities. The
colors of Russian flag were used both in exterior and interior design. Rossiya train is considered
one of the best trains in Russia in terms of service, friendliness of staff and upkeep.

The train has 1st, 2nd and 3rd class carriages.

1st class compartments have two lower berths (width is 70 cm). Each cabin has a TV and 220V
socket. Doors are equipped with access control system (smart cards). Bed linen, personal
hygiene set, and magazines are included in ticket price.

2nd class compartments have 4 berths – two upper and two lower ones. Second class tickets
are available with and without meals. Each cabin has a TV and 220V socket. Doors are
equipped with access control system (smart cards).

3rd class is an open carriage without any closed compartments. It has 54 sleeping berths
arranged in two levels.

The train has a nice dining car with a special menu for passengers.

The train #100/099 operates on the route Moscow - Vladivostok once in two days. Making 120
stops on the route the train crosses the distance of 9300 km.

Only 2nd and 3d class carriages are available on this train.

People: Your experience will likely vary based on a variety of factors: what time of year you
travel, which direction, what type of train you are on and whether you are in spalny vagon,
kupe or platskartny. Heading west to east throughout the month of November, I felt like I was
the only tourist on board and certainly the only English-speaker. I shared my kupe
compartment with a grandmother and granddaughter, an orphanage teacher, a university
student, members of a girls’ volleyball team, a few businessmen/women, a couple military men
and an engineer who was anxious to practice his English with me. If you begin in Moscow and
travel during the summer or early fall, you are more likely to encounter other tourists. If you are
looking for the most social experience possible, consider giving up some privacy and comfort
for the more open atmosphere of platskartny.