The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-06-06
RusslA's GREAT RAILWAY.

Government contemplates the i'm
provement of the existing Siberian
Railway and creating duplicate APP
proaches both in European Russia and
the Far East" Consul Maynard writes
from Vladivostock. when these works 4
are completed in 1915 the imperial
treasury will have expended on the
Siberian Railway somewhat over ST.
OOO,OOO,OOO which includes both cost
Of construction and loss on exploita-
ton In exchange for this Russia will
have a complete double-track system
from the Urals to the Pacific, with
double approaches, of a total length of |
6S44 miles.
During 1910 the Ministry of Com
munications introduced into the Dou- |
ma three bills providing for parts of
this vast work. The first is to double |
tie Baikal-Kultchuk section of the Cir
cumbaikal Railway, the second is con-
cerned with the eastern part of the
new Amur Railway, and the third is
+ for double-tracking the existing Trans
baikal Railway. The most important
work strategically is the Amur Rail-
way, which will supply Russia with
ming through Russian territory alone,
as against the existing Chinese East
ern line. The new Amur line will be
1874 miles long, and, as officially es-
tmated, will cost 1921 100000; but
including rolling stock, guarding dur
ing construction and the usual per-
centage of estimated expenditure, the
cost is put at $149,244,OOO. With the
completion of this work, which has
been two years in hand, Russia will
for the first time have railway COM
/ munication with the Far East lying
entirely in native territory"
/ THE second great work under way
is connecting st. Petersburg and the
European Northern Railway system
with the main Siberian line, the chief
|
through Moscow and Central Russia.
This new line runs through the towns
of Perm, Ekaterinburg and Tyumen,
and joins the Siberian Railway at
Omsk. The section from Perm to Eka-
terinburg is finished. The total cost
of this new approach and incidental
| iTo1T nf1 1rrf11 A
Doubling and improving the exist
ing track of the Siberian Railway is
the next work. This was begun in
1907. For three sections of doubling
work and for reconstruction the billy
part of the Eastern Siberian Railway
I,(between Atchinsk and Irkutski) the
Ministry of Communications has asked
for $S2,309000; but in addition there
are sections for which no estimates
have yet been prepared, also the need
ed Improvements of the Ussuri Rail
way (from Vladivostock to Habarof-
SIKH, and rebuilding of stations. Add
ing these costs, calculating on the bas.
is of past outlays, the Russian engin-
eer, Mikhailocsky, puts the cost Of re-
constructing the existing Siberian line
at $97,966,OO0. This makes total
cost of new works undertaken during
the last three years of $29O,453,OOO
Engineering defects in the line will
remain in steep gradients in the
Transbaikal Railway which require
double traction, large number of
short curves and wooden bridges over
the narrow rivers, which are con-
stantly destroyed by fire. The correc-
ton of these defects will bring the
total of $3O2, 100000.
THE statistical department of the
Ministry of Communications puts the
construction outlay up to 1907 on the
Siberian and Manchurian railways at
$422, $4,000. The losses on exploita-
ton during the fourteen years which
have elapsed since 1896. when the
western section of the Siberian line
was opened, are given at $211 $4,000
The exploitation losses for the six
years which will e1aDse hefOra tha