Transcontinental Railways

A transcontinental rail line or a railroad is a railroad line that runs across a continent. It has stations on both sides of the oceans or at the borders of different continents. Even though Europe is full of trains, most of the trains in Europe are not considered transcontinental, except for the historic Orient Express. 

Transcontinental railroads made it possible for people to explore and settle in parts of the world not already inhabited. It is not just freight transportation that many of them still play a big part in. Some, like the Trans-Siberian Railway, even have passenger trains that go from one end of the country to the other.

Major Transcontinental Railways 

1. The Trans-Siberian Railway

At some point in 1891 AD, work began on this rail route. It was finished in 1905 AD. It goes from St. Petersburg in the west to Vladivostok in the east, which is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the far east. This rail line was built to connect the central industrial area of the former USSR with the Urals, Siberia, and far eastern parts of the country.

2. The Canadian Pacific Railway 

To get from St. John in the east to Vancouver on the west coast, you need to take this train. There are industrial areas in Quebec and Montreal, a region of softwood and wheat-growing areas in the Prairies, and this highway links them all.

3. The Canadian National Railway 

In Montreal, Quebec, the headquarters of the Canadian National Railway Company, which services Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States, is located.

With more than 32,831 kilometres of track, CN is Canada’s largest railway in terms of income and overall size. CN acquired the Illinois Central and other railways in the late twentieth century, allowing it to expand its capacity across the country. It goes from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and goes through both of these cities, as well.

4. The Cairo-Cape Town Transcontinental Railway

The Cape to Cairo Railway was a plan to build a railway line from the southern tip of Africa to the northern tip. It would have been the continent’s biggest and best railway. Port Said, Egypt, and Cape Town, South Africa, were the intended destinations for this bridge. 

Unfortunately, the task was never completed. Due to conflicts and a lack of upkeep by the old colonies, important segments have remained inactive for several years. It was supposed to go from Cairo, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, and go through Aswan, Addis Ababa, and Mombasa on its way.

5. The Trans-Australia Railway

New rail lines were built between South Australia and Western Australia, beginning with the construction of a new route between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie.

The Trans-Australian Railway was finished on October 17th, 1917, connecting the eastern states with Western Australia and helping to establish a feeling of national integration for the newly created Commonwealth. To go from Sydney to Perth in the west, this is the longest route in the entire country. Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, and Coolgardie are three of the most important places to stop on this route. 

6. The Trans-Caucasus Railway

An important railway that linked the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea was built by the Russian Empire. For Russia’s military, the railway was to be a major asset in the Caucasus region. The Trans-Caspian railway also allowed Russia to deploy soldiers more quickly from Central Asia. From 1865 until 1922, the railroad was owned and run by a private enterprise, and from 1922 to 1991; it was a Soviet Railways subsidiary. This runs from Batum, which was in the USSR, to Farghana and Kusk, which are now in Afghanistan.

7. The Orient Express Railway

The Orient Express was a luxury train that travelled from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul) for over 80 years. Transcontinental Express was Europe’s first transcontinental express, covering a journey of (approximately 2,740 kilometres that featured brief stopovers in towns such as Munich and Vienna. 

8. The Asia-Europe Rail Network

An international conference called the Asia-Europe Network was held in 2006 to plan out the structure of the network. This conference was organised by UNESCAP. People who live in India will get on this rail network from Myanmar. It will go through India and Bangladesh, and then it will go outside of India near Atari again. This rail link is similar to the one that connects Paris and Istanbul in Europe. TAR is a treaty that links India with 28 countries in Asia and Europe, such as China and the United States. On June 11, 2009, it came into force. Currently, this treaty has been agreed to by countries such as India and China and Russia and South Korea.

Conclusion 

Many train routes connect huge nations such as Russia, Canada, the United States, and Australia that span the length and width of their respective continents. Transcontinental railways are railroads that run across continents. The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) in Russia is the world’s longest railway system.

A transcontinental railroad is a rail track that runs across a continental landmass and connects to different oceans or continental borders at different points. If one wishes to make a network like this, they can either use the tracks of a single railroad or those owned and controlled by many different railroads on a single route.