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Trans-Siberian Railroad

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Trans-Siberian Railroad rail line, linking European Russia with the Pacific coast. Its construction began in 1891, on the initiative of Count S. Y. Witte , and was completed in 1905. The completion of the railroad greatly affected the history of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and modern Russia by opening up Siberia to development.

The original line began at Chelyabinsk and ran generally east through Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, and Chita; it traversed Manchuria and reentered Russian territory before ending at Vladivostok. The Manchurian section of the line is known as the Chinese Eastern RR. The present Trans-Siberian RR branches off from the original line at Chita to follow, roughly, the Amur and Ussuri rivers and reaches Vladivostok by way of Khabarovsk; it lies entirely in Russian territory. The Moscow-Vladivostok run is 5,785 mi (9,310 km); the electrification of the entire line was only completed in 2002. The line carries both freight and passengers.

The Trans-Siberian RR now has several branch lines, notably the line connecting Omsk with Yekaterinburg. A branch to Ust-Kut connects with the Baykal-Amur Mainline (BAM). The railroad is also linked with the Turkistan-Siberia RR .

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"Trans-Siberian Railroad." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-TransSib.html

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Baykal-Amur Mainline

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Baykal-Amur Mainline (BAM), railroad line linking central Siberian Russia with the Pacific. The BAM parallels the Trans-Siberian RR but passes north rather than south of Lake Baykal. It is 1,928 mi (3,102 km) long, with 1,987 bridges. Its eastern terminus is Sovetskaya Gavan on the Tatar Strait. It was begun in 1938 but was dismantled for parts after World War II. It was restarted in 1974 and officially completed in 1991. Although it operates along its entire length, it is little used, largely because of a lack of funds to maintain it.

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"Baykal-Amur Mainline." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"Baykal-Amur Mainline." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-BaykalAm.html

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Trans-Siberian Railway

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Copyright

Trans-Siberian Railway A railway built in 1891–1904 from Moscow east around the southern end of Lake Baikal to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan, a distance of 9311 km (5786 miles). It opened up Siberia and advanced Russian interest in east Asia. A major extension to the north of Lake Baikal (the Baikal—Amur Mainline) was completed in 1984 and stretches 3102 km (1952 miles) from Ust-Kut in east Siberia to the Pacific coast.

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"Trans-Siberian Railway." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-TransSiberianRailway.html

"Trans-Siberian Railway." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-TransSiberianRailway.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	ANGOYA STATION ON BAM NAMED AFTER HEYDAR ALIYEV. News Wire article from: AZR - State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan; 7/19/2008
	Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy. The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners... Magazine article from: Utopian Studies; 3/22/2005