The Trans-Siberian Railway (Транссибирская магистраль, Transsibirskaya Magistral') is the longest railway in the world, connecting Moscow in the west of Russia to Vladivostok in the far east of Russia.  It typically takes 6 days to travel the full route non-stop.  Major stops on the way include, from west to east, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Tayshet, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Chita, Birobidzhan, Khabarovsk and Ussuriysk.  Branch lines come off the Trans-Siberian for the Trans-Mongolian Railway, the Trans-Manchurian Railway the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Amur-Yakutsk Mainline.

The Trans-Mongolian Railway leaves the Trans-Siberian Railway at Ulan Ude, Russia, and continues south into Mongolia. It crosses the Gobi Desert, taking in the capital of Mongolia - Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar - and continues into China, where the train can be followed all the way to the line terminus at Beijing.  Stops on the way include, from north-west to south-east, Sukhbaatar, Ulaanbaatar and Erlian / Erenhot.

The Trans-Manchurian Railway leaves the Trans-Siberian Railway at Tarskaya in the far east of Russia.  It crosses south into China, passing through Manzhouli, Harbin, Changchun and terminating in Beijing.

The Baikal-Amur Mainline (Байкало-Амурская магистраль, Baikalo-Amurskaya magistral’) runs roughly parallel with the Trans-Siberian Railway in the eastern portion of Siberia.  It begins in the west at Tayshet, passing east through Severobaikalsk, Tynda, Vanino and terminating at Sovetskaya Gavan.

The Amur-Yakutsk Mainline (Амуро-Якутская магистраль, Amuro-Yakutskaya Magistral’) runs north from the Trans-Siberian Railway at Tynda.  It runs north through Berkakit, Neryungri-Passazhirskaya, Aidan, Tommot, terminating at Nizhny Bestyakh (the line is incomplete), with a branch line running to Yakutsk.