Chinese Eastern Railway Liaodong from China in 1898. Officially, traffic on the line started in November 1901, but regular passenger traffic from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok across the Trans-Siberian railway did not commence until July 1903. In 1898, construction of a 550-mile (880 km) spur line, most of which later formed the South Manchuria Railway, began at Harbin, leading southwards through Eastern Manchuria, along the Liaodong Peninsula, to the ice-free deep-water port at Lüshun, which Russia was fortifying and developing into a first-class strategic naval base and marine coaling station for its Far East Fleet and Merchant Marine. This town was known in
Jubilee Medal "100 Years of the Trans-Siberian Railway" Jubilee Medal "100 Years of the Trans-Siberian Railway" The Jubilee Medal "100 Years of the Trans-Siberian Railway" () is a state commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 100th anniversary of the Trans-Siberian Railway. It was established on June 27, 2001 by Presidential Decree № 777. The Jubilee Medal "100 Years of the Trans-Siberian Railway" is awarded to employees of the railways who worked flawlessly in the industry for 20 years or more, as well as to other citizens of the Russian Federation who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Trans-Siberian railway. Presidential