Circum-Baikal Railway

The Great Siberian Railway, later known as the Trans-Siberian Railway, became a true "Spine of Russia," connecting its western and eastern regions. A special adornment of this route is the Circum-Baikal Railway (CBR).

The first studies of this section were conducted from 1836 to 1840 under the guidance of engineer Anton Ivanovich Shtukenberg. However, the final determination of the route for the first section of the road from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal was completed in 1894.

Construction of the road from Irkutsk to Cape Small Baranchik at Baikal took place from 1896 to 1900. Currently, there is Baikal port, which is the final station of the CBR.

The work was complicated by the difficult terrain. Due to the lack of roads along the shores of Baikal, construction materials were delivered by water: in summer on barges, in winter on sleds over the ice. Stone for the embankment was quarried on-site. High cliffs required the construction of tunnels, and slopes were reinforced with retaining walls. Almost all work was done manually at any time of the year.

Many foreign workers participated in the construction of the CBR, including Albanians, Greeks, Turks, Austrians, Japanese, and Chinese, with Italian specialists particularly standing out. In particular, more than 600 masters from Friuli participated in the construction of the tunnels. One of the retaining walls was named Italian in their honor. The main difficult work was performed by convicts and exiles.

By 1904, the number of workers on the CBR reached 13,500, which was related to the Russo-Japanese War and the need to transport troops and cargo eastward. All efforts were focused on laying the railway line, while infrastructure and settlements were hardly built.

The operational use of the CBR began on September 18 (October 1) 1904. The length of the railway from Baikal station to Mysovaya was 244 versts (260 km). The cost of one kilometer of the road was about 130 thousand rubles, which exceeded the costs on other sections of the Trans-Siberian.

Active commercial use of the road began, with passenger and freight trains starting to run. In 1911-1914, a second track was laid, increasing the capacity to 48 pairs of trains per day. During the Civil War, active hostilities took place on the CBR, confirming its strategic importance.

Today, a section of 89 km of the CBR has been preserved, while the rest was flooded by the Irkutsk Reservoir. The CBR is unique for its engineering structures and ranks among the top in the world. The beauty of nature and architectural objects have made it the "Golden Buckle of Russia's Steel Belt." The tunnels and stone galleries have preserved the original design of the architects and engineers of the early 20th century. Excursion trains and electric trains for local residents living on the shores of Baikal still run along the road.