Train of thought: 100 years of the Trans-Siberian Railway

Published on December 14, 2016

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In 2016 the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway in the world connecting Europe and Asia along 9,289 km of track from Moscow to Vladivostok, celebrated its 100th birthday. French photographer Damien Rayuela invites you to hop on board his 'train of thought' crossing China, Russia and Mongolia, and get a glimpse of what its passengers see and feel.

The Trans-Siberian is not a tourist train; it’s first and foremost a means of public transportation.

The Trans-Siberian is a very special means of transportation where one’s senses get sharpened by the constant rocking of the train; the limited space one is forced to share with strangers for days and nights; and the hypnotising landscapes unfolding outside.

Walking through the train, passing from one compartment to another, I contemplate how the other passengers get lost in their thoughts looking out at the panorama of swampy plains and forests of pine and birch.

All induced in a reverie that is one of the pleasures of train travel, we look outside yet most of the time with our attention inward…

Anzor (25), from Kazakhstan: "When we travel, we think more about our spiritual beliefs, and true values. You don't care about material things or daily routines. The Trans-Siberian gave me time for thinking, gave me more understanding of who I am, where I belong, and how much I appreciate and love my family."

Until a cabin or a village pops up, like something from a Levitan painting, to break the monotony of the landscape and make you wonder what life must be like, here in the middle of nowhere.

American writer Ian Frazier about Siberia: “It’s more an idea than a place”

Tanya Chong, (27) from London, United Kingdom: "I want to create new memories with everyone just as much as I want to see the different faces of the world pass by - hopefully I strike a good balance between both!"

Distance, place and time come together to create something unique.

Su Myat Naing Aung, from Yangon, Myanmar: "When I see the extensive amount of land, the massive mountains and the huge lake Baikal with its boundless surface touching the horizon, I suddenly feel like my problems are so small. I feel so peaceful because I'm not resenting the past or worrying about the future, and just enjoying the present." The window pane is like a cinema screen, but which side am I on? Wagons of thought.