Beijing Moscow Train: Railway History

Part of the immense railway system known as the Trans-Siberian Railway (constructed to connect western Russia with distant Siberia), the Trans-Manchurian Railway offers a unique experience for travelers wishing to see both Russia and China. With a travel time of 6 days – and a history that’s a grand adventure in its own right – the Trans-Manchurian should be on any intrepid wanderer’s to-do list.

From the middle of the 19th Century, the need to both culturally and logistically unify the whole of Russia (not to mention more effectively exploit the natural riches of Siberia) led Tsar Alexander III to the idea of a great railway linking Moscow to the distant Pacific port of Vladivostok. The growing presence of European nations in the Far East along with rising strength of Asia’s own power centers, made the railway’s construction through Russia’s somewhat unguarded eastern reaches a national security concern as well.

Ground was broken on the railroad in 1891, with Tsarevich Nicholas II (who would succeed his father just three years later) laying the first stone in Vladivostok to symbolically begin construction. Work on the railroad proceeded from each end point (Moscow and Vladivostok) as well as in multiple sections along the route, with existing railways being linked with new tracks, and completely new connections being carved into the Siberian wilderness, often with no more than simple hand tools. The manpower involved reached into the tens of thousands.

The most difficult section was that around Lake Baikal, where a combination of terrain, climate and distance made work slow and supplies difficult to bring in. With this final section still struggling to completion, the notion of a shorter, more direct route through the northern Chinese region of Manchuria began to be proposed. Not only would it shave a significant distance off the route passing only through Russian territory, but it would give Russia a foothold in China to increase its regional influence.

With a concession from the Chinese government, Russia extended a spur from the Trans-Siberian railway at Chita, just over 400 km east of Lake Baikal. As with the main line, construction was to be handled in multiple sections built simultaneously. The sleepy village of Harbin was selected as the hub for construction, from which lines were built heading east to Vladivostok and west to join with the line from Chita.

After the line was completed in 1902, the railway created an economic boom for the formerly remote and quiet villages of Manchuria. Harbin, particularly, saw explosive growth, in no small part due to an additional spur line that cut south from the town to China’s capital, Beijing and on to the distant city of Port Arthur (now Dalian). Harbin remains a significant and prosperous industrial city to this day.

At the beginning of the Trans-Manchurian railway, a trip on this Russia – China train took 13 days to reach Beijing, or a full two weeks to make it all the way to Port Arthur. A ticket for the full distance cost from 64 rubles for Third Class to as high as 272 rubles for First Class.

But the railroad was beset with problems virtually from the start. The Japanese took Port Arthur by surprise in 1904, starting a war with Russia that would barely last a year before Russia’s war effort collapsed in defeat and humiliation – and the railway’s inability to keep up with the needs of wartime logistics played a part in that (doubly humiliating, since defense had been one of the justifications for building the railway in the first place). After the war, the Japanese kept control of Port Arthur and the entire southern spur of the railway (Harbin to Port Arthur), greatly weakening Russian influence in the country.

In 1924, Russia surrendered its territorial claims in northern China, though they continued to jointly manage the railroad with the Chinese government. This arrangement ran until 1929, when a Chinese takeover of the railway again led to war. This Sino-Soviet conflict lasted only about five months before the Soviet Union’s victory reinstituted the original joint ownership. The railway was sold to Japan in 1931 in place of yet another military conflict, and while Russia regained control of it at the end of World War II, Josef Stalin surrendered the railway to China without condition in 1952.

And while the railway sections passing through China are now more commonly known in the country as the Chinese Eastern Railway, the original name, the Trans-Manchurian Railway, is still used proudly in Russia. The travel time has been cut in half, with now only a 6-day trip between the Russian and Chinese capitals.

The train on the Trans-Manchurian railway, called the Vostok, is still not as modern or fast as high-speed trains like the Allegro. Nor does it offer the rich amenities of the Grand Express, though it has been updated a number of times over the years. Showers are still not available on board, generally, and travelers are usually advised to include stops along the route in their itinerary for such personal care and for resupplying.

However, the Trans-Manchurian still provides an unforgettable experience, with a journey from Russia’s forests through Siberia’s taiga through the plains of Northern China, and from the domes of European Russia to Beijing’s Great Wall and Forbidden City. The Vostok departs once a week from Moscow’s Yaroslavsky station, while a Beijing – Moscow train departs from the city’s main station at the same time.