On April 3 (old style), 1836, Russian Emperor Nicholas I made the decision to construct the Tsarskoye Selo Railway. Construction

On April 3 (old style), 1836, Russian Emperor Nicholas I made the decision to construct the Tsarskoye Selo Railway. Construction, led by Austrian engineer Franz Gerstner, began in May of the same year. The grand opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway took place in November 1837. At that time, it was Russia’s first public railway and the sixth in the world. Initially, it had a length of 26 kilometers and connected St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo. It was later extended to Pavlovsk. Today, the direct descendant of the Tsarskoe Selo Railway is OAO Rossiyskie Zheleznye Dorogi (OAO Russian Railways), a Russian fully state-owned railway operator. The company manages infrastructure and operates freight and passenger train services, holding the title of the largest employer in Russia. As of 2022, the company employs 701,000 people. In 2018, it ranked second globally for freight turnover, fourth for passenger turnover, and first for traffic safety, energy efficiency, and envir... Source: Lord Of War