A virtual trip with the Trans-Siberian railway

Have you ever imagined yourself rolling across the endless nothingness of Russia on steel rails? The kind of journey where time slows, birch forests blur into more birch forests, and you start wondering whether the map ends or you just drift on forever.

Well, thanks to Google and their collaboration with Russian Railways, you don’t need a train ticket, a packed bag or even sane sleep patterns. They’ve served up a massive 150-hour create a video of the entire Trans-Siberian trip. Birch forests, sleepy stations, endless curves of track.

Have a look at the first part of the video:

My own memory of the Trans-Siberian journey was equal parts magic and misery. We hurtled between time zones, sought meaning in endless landscapes, and discovered sleep doesn’t come easy when the terrain is forever changing. Watching this video unlocked something familiar, the god-forsaken train stations I half-remembered, the wild haul of silence interrupted by a distant whistle.

My view of the birch forests some years ago.

But here’s the thing. This digital version is an odd beast. It’s voyeurism wrapped in nostalgia. You’re not the traveler anymore, you’re the armchair witness. The stations have no smell (no cigarette smoke, no samovars steaming, no voices mumbled in Russian beyond your comprehension). The trees stand still. You can’t wander off the platform. You can’t ask a stranger for a glass of vodka.

So if you watch this, keep your eyes open for the gaps. The camera rarely shows what happens between stations, when the train rolls past something unnameable in the dark. That’s where stories are born. The good stuff happens when you look away from the screen and imagine how it feels to be there.