History of the Rossiya train

The Trans-Siberian in Imperial Russia

Construction on the Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891, and aimed to link St Petersburg and Moscow with the most important Siberian and Far Eastern cities, populate the Russian Empire’s far eastern lands, and harness the wealth of natural resources there.

Building the Trans-Siberian was a true feet of human endeavour – tens of thousands of workers toiled on the railway, hacking their way through permafrost, mountain ranges and endless forests, bridging wide swamps and raging rivers, and braving the bleak eastern winter. The efforts were worth it: upon completion it became possible for the first time in history to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean solely by rail.

The Trans-Siberian was constructed in several stages from the Ural city of Chelyabinsk to Vladivostok. The last stage was the Circum-Baikal Railway – before this, cargo and passengers had to disembark the train at Listvyanka on Lake Baikal’s northern shore, cross the lake (by ferry during the summer or by railway built on the lake’s icy surface during winter), and board another train at Mysovaya on the southern shore.

The eastern section of the Trans-Siberian Railway was linked to existing routes between St Petersburg, Moscow, and Chelyabinsk, and the Trans-Siberian Railway was fully complete by 1905. However, the disastrous Russo-Japanese War of 1904/1905 highlighted a serious problem: the final stretch of the Trans-Siberian – the Chinese Eastern Railway between Chita and Vladivostok – was built via the Chinese territory of Manchuria and could be lost to foreign powers. Russia decided to build the Amur Railway as a second route to Vladivostok, from Chita via Khabarovsk. This was a longer route and a more difficult and expensive endeavour (including a bridge over the Amur River which took three years to build), but it would run solely through Russian territory.  

With this, the Trans-Siberian Railway was complete. There were four departures per week from St Petersburg to Vladivostok, taking 12 days to reach their destination. A first class ticket cost 148 roubles 15 kopecks (an industrial worker’s salary for half a year), and passengers resided in stately carriages decorated with mahogany, bronze and velvet, complete with an on-board library, piano and even sports facilities. These luxury carriages can be seen at the Railway Museum in St Petersburg today.

The Trans-Siberian and Rossiya train in Soviet times

After the chaos of revolution and Civil War, and the destruction wreaked on the railway network, the Trans-Siberian was only reopened in 1925. However, it lacked the opulence of imperial-era carriages and there were only departures twice a month on Saturdays.
This all changed with the launch of the Rossiya train on 30th September 1966, offering passengers the highest quality of service on daily departures between Moscow and the east. The train was painted in bright cherry red, with ‘Rossiya’ and ‘Moscow – Vladivostok’ emblazoned in white enamel letters on its side. Inside, the train was equipped with central heating, a children’s carriage, foam mattresses and wool duvets, free newspapers and political literature, and a kettle and glasses for tea in each cabin. The onboard service was carried out by the Komsomol Youth Brigade, who received hundreds of letters of thanks from grateful passengers.

The Trans-Siberian and Rossiya train today

In the year 2000, the Rossiya train was repainted with the tricolour of the Russian flag and embellished with the state emblem of the Russian Federation. The service was improved even more in the early 2000s and top design firms were enlisted to develop the new carriages, winning a prize for the best interiors of all Russian branded trains. Brand-new carriages on the Rossiya train were introduced in summer 2020, and include plug sockets for each passenger, electronic cabin locks, hot showers in every carriage, and access to a microwave and fridge.

The route of the Rossiya train passes through many of Russia’s most interesting cities, including Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk, and finally Vladivostok. The other Trans-Siberian train, the unbranded #061/062, takes a more southernly route to Yekaterinburg via Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod.

Although you can fly between Moscow and Vladivostok in less than 9 hours for the same price as a Trans-Siberian ticket, the Rossiya train remains as popular as ever. It’s not all about the destination, but the journey too – and a journey on the Rossiya across the length of Russia is truly an unforgettable one!