On 29th of March 1891 the Emperor Alexander the 3rd has signed the rescript regarding the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway line on Earth, it stretches for over 10 000 kilometers.
Trans-Siberian line connects Russian western and southern ports, as well as railway gates to Europe (St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Novorossiysk) and Asia (Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vanino, Zabaykalsk).
Sceptics did not believe in the success of the railway construction; their major concerns were: rotten swamps, severe frosts and the impossibility to develop agriculture activities along the line. Nevertheless, the project was approved and was worth of 350 million rubles. The majority of works were done by hand, with the help of axe, saw, shovel, mandrel and hand-barrow. Approximately 500 kilometers of the railway were constructed each year, despite the harsh working conditions and lack of proper instruments. In the construction of the line were engaged 80 thousands workers.
The work over the railway had started from Chelyabinsk and Vladivostok; groups of workers were constructing several sections simultaneously. The conditions were severe; people had to work in the uninhabited lands and taiga. The construction was going through swampy regions, areas of permafrost and numerous lakes. Among them the most difficult region was around the Lake Baikal. On this section of the road it was necessary to remove mountains, dig the tunnels and construct bridges. It was a remarkable technical project.
The traffic over the railway began in autumn 1901. The construction of the railway has shortened the duration of the trip from 3 months to 2 weeks.