In 1837, the St. Petersburg—Tsarskoye Selo railway line (now the town of Pushkin) was opened, with a length of 27.5 kilometers. The experience of its construction and operation provided practical proof that uninterrupted railway transport could function in Russia’s climatic conditions in all seasons.
On February 13, 1842, Emperor Nicholas I signed a decree to build the first Russian main railway line, St. Petersburg—Moscow. The route was planned along the shortest distance between the two capitals, and its length was set at 604 versts (644 kilometers). Later, during the construction of the Verebyinsky bypass in 1877, the line’s length increased to 609 versts (650 kilometers).
Train service on отдельных sections of the railway began as early as 1846. On November 13, 1851, the official opening of the entire main line took place. The first train, consisting of a steam locomotive, two soft-seated coaches, three hard-seated coaches, and one baggage car, departed from St. Petersburg at 11:15 and arrived in Moscow the next day at 9:00 a.m., spending 21 hours 45 minutes en route. There were 192 passengers on board.
In 1855, the main line was named the “Nikolaevskaya Railway” in honor of Emperor Nicholas I, and since 1923 it has been known as the “Oktyabrskaya Railway.”
