Russia (bbabo.net), - February 13, 1842, Emperor Nicholas I signed a decree on the construction of a railway from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Movement on all sections was opened nine and a half years later, and until now, trains between the two capitals pass along the very route that was once designed by imperial engineers.
In fact, Nicholas I began to dream about building a branch between St. Petersburg and Moscow back in 1835 after meeting with the Austrian engineer Franz Gerstner. He proposed not only to build a branch line to Moscow, but also to extend it immediately to Kazan. The emperor thought, met with the ministers and ... encountered resistance. Yegor Kankrin, Minister of Finance, appealed to the fact that the project is fantastically expensive, its payback is doubtful, and the risks are colossal.
Why didn't the elites believe in railroads? There were several reasons for this. For example, the main cargo turnover was carried out by water. Transportation of bulky items, for example, from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg was considered unjustified pampering.
Passenger traffic between St. Petersburg and Moscow was carried out along the Moscow highway. By the way, in St. Petersburg it began from the street, which is now called Moskovsky Prospekt. Traffic was constant, serfs moonlighted as cab drivers. The nobles looked positively at this practice, it was from this money that the cabbies paid taxes to them.
The appearance of the railway threatened the cabmen with the loss of earnings, and this meant negative consequences not only for themselves, but also for entire noble dynasties. Also, Finance Minister Kankrin expressed concern that the young Russian metallurgy would not be able to cope with the volume of orders and would have to open the gateway for metal purchases abroad, and this would be a blow to the domestic industry.
The debate went on for a long time. As a compromise, in 1837 the Tsarskoye Selo railway was built from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin). And then preparations began for the construction of a road between St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Two variants of the route were considered: in a straight line and with a call to Veliky Novgorod. The latter meant that the railroad would have to make a detour of about 30 versts. Although the distance is not quite large, but it significantly increased the budget of the route. The Novgorod elites, of course, lobbied for the passage of the road through the city, as arguments they cited, for example, the presence of a port in the city, which opened up additional opportunities for cargo transportation. It was also noted that passenger traffic, if the branch passes through them, will increase. But Nicholas I decided - to lead the route in a straight line.
The engineers strictly followed the imperial decree. Moreover, so much so that they led the route through the ravine in Valdai. There was a significant difference in elevation, and the road was sloping. Already when the railway communication was opened, it turned out that not all trains safely pass this section. Some trains were pulled by two locomotives, others shared. In 1881, a railway bypass was built around the ravine, and for many years trains traveled along it. But now, by the way, the road passes here along that original route, and the power of modern locomotives is such that most passengers do not even pay attention to the slope.
Research was carried out from two sides. One group of engineers led the line from St. Petersburg, the second - from Moscow. And they met in a place called Bologoe. It was a very small village, but it was here, as in a point that is halfway from the two capitals, that important railway infrastructure facilities were built: a depot, warehouses, and a station.
The movement opened in stages. Initially, trains began to run to Kolpino, then to Chudovo, and in 1851 all sections began to work. Freight trains reached their destination in 48 hours, and passenger trains were driven in just a day.
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