Tsarskoye Selo Railway launched

The construction of the railway began from Pavlovsk towards St. Petersburg on May 1, 1836. In July, a canopied platform for visitors was built and the foundation of the hotel building was laid. By September 30, 23.5 km of tracks were laid. On September 10, the construction of a railway station and a locomotive depot with a turntable began in Tsarskoye Selo. At the end of September, a horse-drawn train with few carriages made test trips from Pavlovsk to Tsarskoye Selo.

On November 3, 1836, the first steam locomotive went on a trip. The machine was shipped disassembled by sea from England to Kronstadt, then across the gulf further by Obvodny Canal and on horse carts over to Tsarskoye Selo, where it was assembled and tested (the first steam locomotive was manufactured in Newcastle at the T. Hackworth’s plant).

On August 1, 1837, a railway terminus construction got underway in St. Petersburg.

On October 1, the stations were completed in St. Petersburg and Pavlovsk, where it was also necessary to build a turntable. An arcade linked the Pavlovsk station’s platform to the hotel. Its lobby had tables for visitors wishing to dine while they were entertained with music and singing. The original Pavlovsky railway station was designed by then famous architect Stackenschneider, a student of Montferrand.

The grand opening of the Russia’s first ever passenger railway was held on October 30 (old style), 1837. St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo were linked by a single-track railway line with trains running along.

This was a momentous project that gave impetus to emergence of railways in Russia, thus stimulating the domestic economy and bringing the entire nation to a new level.

The total length of the line was about 27 km. The project of the Tsarskoye Selo railway provided for 4 stops, specifically, stations in Pavlovsk, Tsarskoye Selo, Shushary and the terminus in St. Petersburg.