History of Russian Railways. Dossier. List of countries by rail network length
We know about cable cars, highways, railway lines and so on. Each of them has its own champion - there are the straightest, longest, fastest roads.
The longest cable car
The highest and longest cable car in the world started operating in 2010 in Armenia. Its length is five kilometers seven hundred meters. The construction was carried out by the Swiss company Garaventa. The cost of construction amounted to thirteen million euros. It leads to the monastery of Tatev. Between the two stations, three pillars were built: one above the village of Halidzor, the second near the Tatev Monastery. The cabin of the cable car can accommodate up to twenty-five people and can accelerate up to thirty-seven kilometers per hour. The cable car in Armenia has the lyrical name Wings of Tatev Tatev Monastery is one of the brightest monuments of medieval architecture in Armenia. The construction of the cable car was of great importance for the country. The fact is that before the appearance of the cable car, it was not easy to get into the monastery complex, since the road leading to it was impassable. Now, to overcome the entire journey by cable car, you need to spend only eleven minutes.
The most long road in Russia
The longest Railway in Russia - the Trans-Siberian Railway. Its construction began in 1891. The length is nine thousand two hundred and eighty eight kilometers. It stretched across the entire Eurasian continent. Its second name is the Great Siberian Way. The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest road in Russia. Its length is more than 9 thousand km.
Among the world's roads, the longest was built in Russia.
We are talking about the Amur federal highway, which connects the Center of Russia with the Far East. The history of the M58 Chita-Khabarovsk highway has more than one decade. It was built in parts. The idea of the Moscow tract, which would run parallel to the Trans-Siberian Railway, was first born in 1905. Military road builders began construction only in 1978. The road had to pass through the impenetrable taiga. Fifteen years later, only six hundred kilometers of the route were built, not best quality. The road from Khabarovsk to Chita took five days. Only at the end of the twentieth century, the question of completing the construction of the Amur highway again arose. Khabarovsk-Chita is the last constructed section of the longest highway. Thanks to the Federal Target Program, the construction of the road continued. Now there is through traffic between Vladivostok and Moscow. The length of the Amur highway is two thousand ninety-seven kilometers. It has almost two thousand artificial structures and two hundred and eighty bridges.
The longest railway
The longest railroad is located in Russia and is called the Trans-Siberian Railway. It stretched for nine thousand two hundred and eighty eight kilometers across the whole of Eurasia, passing through all the major outlets to Europe and Asia, capturing port cities. Pacific Ocean. About a hundred million tons are transported along this highway every year. The beginning of the Trans-Siberian Railway is considered the Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, and its end is the Vladivostok railway station in the Golden Horn Bay (Sea of Japan).
The longest high-speed railway is in China.
In 2012, the longest high-speed railway began to operate in China. The length of the branch was two thousand two hundred kilometers. It stretches from Guangzhou to Beijing. Trains move along it at a speed of three hundred kilometers per hour and overcome the entire path in just eight hours. During the journey, the train makes thirty-five stops. By comparison, the journey from Guangzhou to Beijing used to take twenty-two hours. Up to 200,000 people travel along this road every day. In terms of the length of high-speed railways, China occupies a leading position. On a long section of the expressway, trains travel at a speed of 300 km / h. There is another longest railway - a toy plastic one. It was built in Shanghai. The longest plastic track is two kilometers eight hundred and eighty eight meters long and consists of almost fourteen thousand sections. Thomas the Tank Engine was launched along this toy railroad. The previous record for the longest plastic railroad was held by Japan, but the length of the last track was twenty percent less.
The longest straight road in the world
The straightest, most boring and longest road in the world is the Eyre Highway. There is nothing on the sides of the road to catch your eye, there are no picturesque landscapes, no villages, no cities, no natural water, no motels, that is, absolutely nothing even a little interesting. The longest straight road in the world is in Australia. The length of this straight highway is one thousand two hundred kilometers. It stretches along the Nullabor valley from Norseman to Siduna. This high-quality good road can be driven by any car. Some variety in this trip can be made by large wild animals, sometimes going out at dusk to take a walk along the highway.
The longest direct railway in Russia - Moscow-St. Petersburg
The Trans-Siberian Railway or the Great Siberian Way, which connects the Russian capital Moscow with Vladivostok, until recently bore the honorary title of the world's longest railway. But when the New Silk Road was launched, it moved the Trans-Siberian to second place, as it became noticeably longer than the previous record holder. The longest railway routes include unique routes with a length of many thousands of kilometers, during the journey along which a person can learn a lot about our planet.
1. Madrid-Iu, or the "New Silk Road" (13,052 km)
Nowadays, to deliver goods from the Middle Kingdom to Europe, it is not necessary to make dangerous months-long off-road trips on horses and camels. However, to avoid this, huge investments are required. The Chinese have historically dreamed of making the direction to the west profitable, fast and reliable, and at some point attracted Russian specialists to cooperate.
The length of the railway line with the big name "New Silk Road" was 13,052 kilometers. That is how much railway track it took to connect the capital of Spain with the small Chinese town of Yiwu. After the completion of construction, this railway became the record holder in the world in terms of length. The Chinese government has not been stingy and has spent about $40 billion to improve the infrastructure of the railway and increase the tonnage of goods carried on it.
At the end of 2014, a train from the Chinese city of Yiwu, located on the Pacific coast, solemnly set off, and 21 days later it finished in distant Madrid. This was the beginning of the work of the longest railway in the world. Unfortunately, the quality of the track does not yet allow comfortable passenger express trains to run on it, the movement of trains is strongly influenced by the weather and other natural factors, but, despite this, the start of the functioning of this highway allowed the world economy to stand one step higher.
2. Moscow-Vladivostok, or the Trans-Siberian Railway (9,289 km)
This road passes exclusively through Russian territory, she was the first to globally connect Europe and Asia. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891. The heir to the throne, Nikolai Romanov (the future last Emperor Nicholas II), returning from a many-month sea cruise from Japan, laid the first stone of the Ussuri railway in the vicinity of Vladivostok. The longest railway in Russia, like beads, strung 87 cities, 5 federal districts and 8 time zones on itself. 81% of the length of this path falls on the Asian part, and the rest on the European.
The Soviet builders of BAM could envy the speed of construction of this railway line - the route from Kotlas and Miass to Port Arthur and Vladivostok appeared in just 13.5 years (1891-1904). Basically, the "cast iron" passed through undeveloped lands, areas of permafrost. Many bridges were thrown over large rivers. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was completed on October 1 (according to the old style), 1904. But even after the official completion, construction continued for many more years. For example, only in 1938 the second track was completed. This legendary railway, which has a length of 9289 kilometers, was launched at the height of the First World War - in 1916.
To get from the capital to Vladivostok, a traveler will need to spend 167 hours on the train, which will make 120 stops during this time. Traveling along the Trans-Siberian Railway is akin to a long tourist voyage - passengers will see many famous settlements, natural sights of incredible beauty and untouchedness during the journey. In addition, winding kilometers, the train gradually crosses 8 time zones.
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3. Moscow-Beijing (8,984 km)
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Russia and China are long-standing partners with common interests not only in politics and economics, but also in culture. It is not surprising that the capitals of these vast countries were connected by a direct railway line, which stretches for 8984 kilometers. The journey from one capital to another lasts about 145 hours. A significant part of the train route is covered by the already mentioned Trans-Siberian Railway, but in Chita, the cars heading to China turn towards the Chinese border. This is followed by a 6-hour stop in Zabaikalsk, where border control and a change of wheelsets are carried out, since the gauge is different in the two countries.
4. Far Eastern Railway (6,826 km)
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The length of this route is 6826 kilometers. The railway administration is located in Khabarovsk. Throughout the journey, the train passes through 416 stations, as well as 3 state border crossing points. Travelers sitting on the train will not get bored, because they can admire the nature of the reserves and the view of the permafrost zones.
5. Gorky Railway (5,296 km)
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In 1936, the Gorky railway was formed with a length of 5296 kilometers. This highway is being modernized all the time, for example, in 2010 Sapsan, a high-speed electric train manufactured by the German company Siemens, began to run along it, which began to deliver passengers for more than a short time. For example, with its help, it became possible to get from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod in 3.5 hours. More than 52 million passengers travel on the Gorky Railway every year. For Russia, this direction has long been an important economic and political factor; historical cities are located along its path, along the way you can look at large forests and picturesque landscapes.
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6. Lhasa-Guangzhou (4,980 km)
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Inside China, there is another long railroad with 4,980 kilometer poles. It connects the port city of Guangzhou and the continental Lhasa, located in the Tibetan Plateau. Train T264 overcomes this grandiose way in 54.5 hours. Conductors tell passengers about the sights flashing outside the windows in three languages. The train has a 24-hour restaurant serving Tibetan and Chinese cuisine.
In recent decades, China has taken a leading position in the world in organizing modern railway networks. The Chinese are using the latest construction technologies, putting on rails modern high-speed trains that can race much faster than ordinary cars.
7. Yining-Shanghai (4,742 km)
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In 2014, traffic was opened on a new railway route connecting Shanghai and Yining with a length of 4742 kilometers. Passenger trains move along it, while they sequentially cross 7 Chinese provinces, in which they make 32 stops. Travel time is 56 hours, during which passengers cross most of China and have the opportunity to admire its beauty, which is really quite a lot.
8. Urumqi-Guangzhou (4,684 km)
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This railway connects the northwestern lands of China with its southeastern regions, its length was 4684 kilometers, and it will take 49.5 hours to overcome them. Three trains operate here, in which businessmen, politicians and just travelers who want to get to Guangzhou most often sit.
9. Toronto-Vancouver (4,466 km)
In Canada, VIA Rail trains run between Vancouver and Toronto on a 4,466 kilometer route. They make 66 stops along the way. But passengers sitting in comfortable carriages do not have to be bored, because the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian taiga untouched by man and various natural attractions rush through the windows. Often, passengers manage not only to admire the scenery, but also to see deer, elk or bears.
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10. Chicago - Los Angeles (4,390 km)
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The American Transcontinental Highway connects Los Angeles and Chicago, which are on opposite sides of the North American mainland. This route is operated by the state-owned company Amtrak. The length of the path is 4390 kilometers, which the trains cover on average in 65 hours. During the journey, they cross 7 states and make 40 stops along the way. For the convenience of travelers, train cars have a special design - there are windows here not only on their sides, but also on the roof.
The first railroad tracks were laid almost two centuries ago. Today, traveling even in an ultra-modern high-speed train is not the fastest way to travel around the planet, but remains one of the most convenient and safe. And freight rail transportation will be the main type of commodity exchange between countries and regions for a long time to come.
A developed network of railway tracks, including the longest railway in the world, which for a long time was considered the Trans-Siberian Railway - mandatory conditions progress of any economically developed area and the entire world economy.
History reference
A very short time after the first public railway track was opened in England in 1825, it became clear that this was the best way to transport goods and passengers. The railways of the world began to entangle the land with a web of rails. The number of laid tracks began to clearly reflect the level of economic development of the state and its potential, including military.
The Russian Empire, in full accordance with the national character of the titular nation, harnessed and carried loads on horseback for a long time. Although the first railway communication between the capital St. Petersburg was established as early as 1837, the operation of railways in Russia was conditional for a long time due to their absence.
National feat
The specifics of the Russian spaces dictated the need for the accelerated development of the railway network - this was clear to the most backward retrograde in the tsarist government. In May 1891, the heir to the throne, the future last autocrat, Nicholas II personally poured a wheelbarrow of earth into the base of the railway embankment near Vladivostok. And the construction of the eastern section of the Trans-Siberian began. In order for the first train to run from the Atlantic coast to Vladivostok in 1904, a colossal amount of money and manpower was spent.
The distance from Europe to the Russian Far East is such that after the completion of construction, Russia inevitably ended up with the longest railway in the world. The construction of the Great Siberian Way, as the highway was called at the beginning, was called by many (especially during the days of celebrations on the occasion of the opening of the movement) a joint feat of a single Russian people, uniting both a leading engineer and a simple digger to achieve a result. Having removed excessive pathos, one can find a large share of truth in this statement.
Trans-Siberian Railway
Formally, the Trans-Siberian was completed when the section of the route from Chelyabinsk to Vladivostok was built, but the reconstruction continued for a very long time. Documented in the form of a tablet at the Yaroslavl railway station in Moscow, the length of the Trans-Siberian Railway is 9298 km. In 2012, the full electrification of the Trans-Siberian Railway was completed, and today the train from Moscow to Vladivostok takes only 6 days and 13 hours.
Russian nature cannot leave even a purely prosaic and economic concept inanimate. A long journey along the Russian railways is not just a movement in space, it impresses any person, giving rise to deep feelings. The longest railway in the world - the Trans-Siberian Railway - is the heroine of numerous poetic and prose texts of various genres, they compose songs and make films about it.
Great Silk Road
China has long been a leader in economic growth. The trade turnover, economic, political, social and public relations of modern China with Russia and Europe require the establishment of high-throughput communication routes. The railways of the world and Europe are becoming an important part of this process.
Historical traditions in establishing contacts are seen by many modern businessmen and politicians in laying on modern basis The Great Silk Road, known since ancient times. The caravan routes that connected the East and Europe were for some time of great intensity, which was reflected in the widespread use of Orientalism in fashion, fine and applied arts in Europe. Chinoiserie - Chinese Rococo, which became the defining trend for leading European architects and decorators at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries - is largely the result of the heroic efforts of merchants who brought rich caravans from China.
An important direction of the economy
In the modern economy, the component is significant. The need to connect remote areas of the country with the industrial and economic center, the high need for interstate transportation made China a leader in the railway industry. The length of the railways, on which ultra-modern trains move, is constantly growing.
In 2012, a new railway line from Beijing to Guangzhou was opened to traffic. The longest and fastest line in the world connected the Chinese capital and a major metropolis in the south of the country. Super-comfortable and reliable trains will move along it at a speed of about 300 km/h, reducing by three times the time spent on this road before. The largest railways in the world are following this path of development.
Madrid - Yiwu
Today, to deliver goods from China to Europe, many months of dangerous journeys on camels and horses along difficult paths are not needed. But you need to invest heavily. The desire to make such a way fast, profitable, reliable, the Chinese proclaimed long ago, inviting Russian specialists to cooperate.
At the end of 2014, they solemnly celebrated in China, and in Madrid 21 days later they met a train that had overcome the path from the Chinese city of Yiwu, located on the Pacific coast. This is how the longest railway in the world with a length of about 13,000 km began to function. Although its condition does not yet allow the movement of comfortable passenger trains, and the passage of trains largely depends on the weather and other local factors, it can be said that the development of the world's transport network has entered a new, impressive stage of development.
In the USSR, fewer railways were built than in the Republic of Ingushetia.
Usage example
"AT Tsarist Russia in the period from 1880 to 1917, i.e. in 37 years, 58,251 km were built. For 38 years of Soviet power, i.e. by the end of 1956, only 36,250 km had been built. dear".
Reality
Railway length
In 1890, the total length of railways in Russia was 24041 versts (Russia 1913. section - transport, 1. Railways; table 2). Later, from the 1990s In the 19th century, active construction of railways was carried out in Russia. This was done both by the state and commercial structures. Especially high rates have been going on since 1890. In many ways, this is the indisputable merit of Sergei Yulievich Witte, who did a lot in this area.
From the “Report of the Council of Congresses of Representatives of Industry and Trade on the Fundamental Improvement of the Work of Railway and Water Transport, Highways in Connection with the Increased Demands of the National Economy of Russia. May 9, 1913"
“In 1904, the total network reached 55,614 versts, having increased by 9,052 versts over the five years, of which 7,144 versts in European Russia and 1,908 versts in Asian Russia. In 1909, the network amounted to 62,422 versts (without the Chinese Eastern Railway - 1,617 versts), having increased by 6,808 versts over 5 years, of which 4,882 versts in European Russia, and 1,926 versts in Asia . By 1910, the total railway network of 62,422 versts fell apart: into a state-owned network in European Russia - 32,373 versts and in Asiatic Russia (including the Ussuri railroad) - 10,129 versts; total state-owned railways 42,502 versts. There are 17,805 versts of private railways in European Russia and 2,115 versts of access roads for public use by private companies, or 19,920 versts in total.
In total, the network of Russian railways has increased by 41,691 versts in 30 years, of which 31,562 versts in European Russia and 10,129 versts in Asian Russia. Consequently, the network increased annually by an average of 1,390 versts. The largest number increased over the five years of 1895-1899 - by 13,755 versts, or 2,751 versts per year. Then, in the five-year period 1900-1904, the network increased by 9,052 versts, or 1,810 versts a year. The remaining five years gave an increase in the network by 5000-5500 versts, or 1000 versts on average per year.
Note that 1 verst = 0.14375 geographic miles = 1.06679 km
From this official document It follows that in 30 years, by 1910, 41,691 versts were built in Russia, which is about 44,475 km. The highest growth rates were achieved during the period from 1895-1899 by 2,751 versts annually, which is about 2,934 km. A lower rate was achieved in the period 1900-1904, in which the growth rate was 1,810 versts per year, which is about 1,930 km. And 1,000 (1,066 km) versts per year on average over the next five years.
It should be noted that in 1911 1579 versts were discovered; in 1912 - 750 versts; in 1913 - 981 versts. (Russia 1913. section - transport, 1. Railways, table 1).
By 1913, the total length of the railway in the Republic of Ingushetia was 68,370 versts (of which only 16,889 versts were double gauge), this number also includes 2,494 versts of private railways of local importance. (Russia 1913; Transport; 1. Railways, Table 3) . This is the length of both public and local roads. In terms of kilometers (68370 times 1.06679) it is approximately 72,936 km.
In the USSR, by 1960, the length of railways common use, according to the statistical yearbook "The National Economy of the USSR in 1960", amounted to 125 thousand km (Section: RAILWAY TRANSPORT. Table: OPERATING LENGTH OF THE RAILWAYS OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (at the end of the year; thousand kilometers) p. 353).
However, this number does not include local roads. On the same page, under the above table, there is an inscription: “In addition to the indicated operational length of the public railways of the Ministry of Railways, there are railway sidings of industrial enterprises and organizations; the length of these non-public routes was 102.4 thousand km at the beginning of 1961. ” All these are railways of local importance, which also played a crucial role in communications. And of course, they also had to be built.
In total, the total length of the railway in the USSR was 227.8 thousand km. The difference with 1913 is 155 thousand km. Divide 155 by 40 (roughly from 1920 to 1960) and get an average of 3.8 thousand km. in year. Even such rough and primitive estimates give an idea of the pace and scale of railway construction at that time. This is despite the fact that the country suffered such terrible disasters as Civil War from World War I and World War II.
Freight volume
In addition to the total length of the railway, there is one more at least important indicator. These are the volumes of cargo transportation and the capacity of railways.
The fact that the carrying capacity of the railways built before the revolution was insufficient is evidenced by some supply difficulties that manifested themselves during the war years. Railway communications, which worked normally in peacetime, turned out to be unprepared for wartime conditions. As General N. N. Golovin wrote: “As a result, even after the shocks caused by the evacuation were outlived by rail transport, the latter cannot cope with the tasks that fall on it to deliver supplies. Difficulties in this area increase as Russia emerges from a period of crisis in combat supplies, and the latter are sent to the army in greater and greater numbers. From his personal 18-month experience as Chief of Staff of the 7th Army (from October 1915 to April 1917), the author can testify that, as a rule, the army did not receive an average of 25% of its due supply. The reasons for this shortfall must be entirely attributed to the insufficient carrying capacity of our railways.
The situation especially worsened after the loss of transport hubs Vilna, Lida, Baranovichi, due to the retreat of the Russian army. To be fair, it is important to add that it was during these years that a lot of railways were built. But these were rather "fire" (emergency) actions.
“Such a weak railway connection was, of course, completely unsatisfactory. With possible urgency, at a very unfavorable time of the year, a branch from the Sinyavka station to Buda was built around the Baranovichi junction, the construction of the track on the northern section of the Podolsk railway (Kalinkovichi - Korosten) was completed, and a temporary wooden bridge was built across the river. Pripyat. After that, the situation improved somewhat. The rail transfer of troops to the Southwestern Front carried out during 1916 is measured in several thousand echelons. And yet, the size of this transportation did not satisfy the strategic requirements of the situation.
One of the reasons that the Galician victory in 1916 did not give the strategic results that one might expect is that the operational transportation required for this turned out to be completely beyond the power of our railways.”N. N. Golovin
Under the Soviet regime (especially in the first decades), the task was not only to build new railways, but also to increase the capacity of the old ones. By 1940, the volume of cargo transportation and the density of railways increased many times over, as evidenced by the following figures:
Freight turnover of railway transport by individual cargo
(billion tariff ton-kilometers)
| 1913 | 1940 | 1955 | 1958 | 1959 | I960 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo turnover-total | 65,7 | 415,0 | 970,9 | 1302,0 | 1429,5 | 1504,3 |
| Hard coal and coke | 12,8 | 106,9 | 266,7 | 348,9 | 347,2 | 333,8 |
| Oil cargo | 3,5 | 36,4 | 101,6 | 154,0 | 182,1 | 205,4 |
| Ferrous metals (including ferrous scrap) | - | 26,2 | 75,7 | 90,6 | 100,9 | 110,4 |
| Timber cargo | 5,1 | 43,6 | 119,9 | 178,4 | 207,3 | 213,6 |
| Grain cargo | 9,9 | 32,8 | 55,1 | 80,8 | 93,7 | 90,7 |
| Any ore (including pyrites) | - | 21,5 | 45,0 | 59,9 | 65,3 | 71,6 |
| Firewood | 1,7 | 5,8 | 5,2 | 6,8 | 7,5 | 8,2 |
| mineral Construction Materials | - | 28,2 | 82,1 | 113,9 | 130,1 | 155,6 |
| Other cargo | - | 113,6 | 219,6 | 268,7 | 295,4 | 315,0 |
Railway density
(km per 1000 km2 of territory)
additional literature
Discussion
Dear, I read quite a lot on this topic, so your claims to absolute knowledge are groundless, both in the sweeping name of most of the railway times of WWI as temporary huts, and in the conviction that in the USSR the same 30-40 was not like that. It was even worse. Well, in any case, including roads built during WWI in favor of the USSR is a charm. And the author to whom I referred did not come up with these figures himself, but took them from a monograph, the author of which is much more in the subject than me, and you, and even more so, the wrestlers are higher in the comments. The fact that the "myth-fighter" is lying like a gray gelding and is not familiar with the topic, even to the smallest extent, cannot be changed. The fact that he took into account both the roads built in the Republic of Ingushetia and the roads captured by the USSR, as built by the USSR, is a fact. So the opus can be safely sent to the scrap. Its value is in the noise level.
