Previous Year Question
Which one of the following cities is NOT located on the Trans-Siberian rail route?
Kazan
Omsk
Sochi
Chita
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The Trans-Siberian Railway is Russia's great east-west rail corridor connecting European Russia with Siberia and the Russian Far East, ultimately reaching Vladivostok. Its length exceeds 9,000 km, making it one of the longest continuous railway systems in the world.
Omsk is a major railway city of western Siberia and an important station on the Trans-Siberian corridor. Chita, situated in eastern Siberia/Transbaikalia, has also historically been a major station on the Trans-Siberian alignment. Historical records of the Library of Congress identify Chita as an important point on its eastern section.
Kazan lies in European Russia, and some western alternative routings of Trans-Siberian journeys have run from Moscow through Kazan towards Yekaterinburg. Therefore, examination geography includes it within the wider rail corridor.
In contrast, Sochi is situated on the Black Sea coast in south-western Russia. It does not lie on the east-west Trans-Siberian corridor towards Siberia; its railway connections belong to the Caucasus and Black Sea coastal network.