Trans-Euran Railway

Trans-Euran Railway Logo of the Trans-Euran Railway
Overview
Status	Under Construction
Location	Eura
Operation
Owner	Trans-Euran Command
Operator(s)	Aqaba-Nivardom Railway Construction and Development Corporation Raspur Railway Corporation
Technical
Line length	18,035 km (under construction)
No. of tracks	Double-track throughout
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Route
Map	1708 proposed route map

The Trans-Euran Railway, inspired by the example of Babkhan and Bassarid forebears, comprises of overlapping networks concentrated in the eastern portion of the continent of Eura. The network has some overlap and interconnection with the Pan-Euran Highway.

History

A project, began in the early 1660s, to establish a railway network linking Vey to Raspur and thence to the ports of Aqaba and Nivardom. The lines are being constructed in two concurrent incremental stages by the Aqaba-Nivardom Railway Construction and Development Corporation and the Zjandarian Railway & Development Corporation, both established in the year 1663.

The Vey to Raspur project was terminated by the Second Euran War but the Aqaba to Nivardom project was seen through to completion by the Aqaba-Nivardom Railway Construction and Development Corporation.

In 1708 AN, the Raspur Railway Corporation, assisted by the Kapavia Southern Railway Corporation, was tasked to extend the Trans-Euran Railway to Mehrshahr, whilst the surviving elements of the previous ventures became subordinated to the Grand Commissariat of Eura and Corum under the authority of the Committee of Euran Salvation.

In 1720 AN, an Imperial Decree expressed the desire of the Basilinna Esmeralda that a railway connect Petronium and Fort George Maniakes to Edgardia and Port Aguilar, also linking cities and important settlements along the way. The Imperial Decree authorized Trans-Euran Command and the Grand Commissariat of Eura and Corum to all things necessary to make this happen within a reasonable timeline.

Assigned resources

In mid-1708 AN the Grand Commissariat received an Imperial Farman from Petropolis commanding Ardashir Bābakān-e Osman to provide over a period of three years starting in 1709 AN, for the purpose of railway construction, the following:

• 372,775 kuls in 310 indentured regiments
• 2,000,000 tons of pig iron
• 209,500,000 mudbricks
• 384,000,000 baked bricks
• 1,860,000,000 Imperial staters

These resources, once gathered by the Grand Commissariat were to be apportioned between the Aqaba-Nivardom Railway Construction and Development Corporation, for construction work in the provinces of Aqaba and Molivadia, and the Raspur Railway Corporation for works in the Raspur Khanate and Suren Confederacy.

Assigned to the Aqaba-Nivardom Railway Construction and Development Corporation

Stage	Stage Length (km)	Kuls	Pig Iron (tons)	Mud Brick	Baked Brick	Imperial staters
Aqaba to Petropolis	882	17,633	96,980	10,241,130	18,771,879	90,926,178
Petropolis to Nivardom	633	12,658	69,617	7,351,534	13,475,281	65,270,813
Nivardom to Varaz Frontier	198	3,965	21,806	2,302,756	4,220,926	20,445,086
Petropolis to New Drakorda	152	3,038	16,711	1,764,703	3,234,681	15,667,965
New Drakorda to Javadabad	420	8,407	46,240	4,882,902	8,950,305	43,352,988
New Drakorda to Varaz Frontier	360	7,205	39,626	4,184,548	7,670,230	37,152,632
Total	2,645	52,906	290,981	30,727,572	56,323,302	272,815,662

Assigned to the Raspur Railway Corporation

Stage	Stage Length (km)	Kuls	Pig Iron (tons)	Mud Brick	Baked Brick	Imperial staters
Molivadia Frontier (Centre) to Bandar-e Saghi	216	4,327	23,800	2,513,238	4,606,737	22,313,856
Bandar-e Saghi to Bandar-e Zinjibar	769	15,374	84,559	8,929,452	16,367,586	79,280,400
Molivadia Frontier Station (North) to Golshan-e Mey	313	6,262	34,439	3,636,737	6,666,099	32,288,880
Molivadia Frontier Station (South) to Golshan-e Mey	168	3,360	18,480	1,951,488	3,577,056	17,326,344
Golshan-e Mey to Raspur	801	16,015	88,084	9,301,628	17,049,782	82,584,781
Golshahn-e Mey to Badehshahr	645	12,895	70,924	7,489,532	13,728,230	66,496,033
Badehshahr to Raspur	548	10,966	60,311	6,368,820	11,673,978	56,545,761
Badehshahr to Norasht Frontier Station	668	13,351	73,432	7,754,377	14,213,688	68,847,465
Raspur to Sadd-é Valiasr	126	2,518	13,847	1,462,222	2,680,237	12,982,382
Sadd-é Valiasr to Kara	1,728	34,555	190,054	20,069,660	36,787,466	178,189,072
Raspur to Surenshahr	182	3,634	19,985	2,110,395	3,868,331	18,737,203
Surenshahr to Jojokheti	1,038	20,750	114,127	12,051,832	22,090,876	107,002,550
Surenshahr to Shahibagh	652	13,044	71,742	7,575,955	13,886,642	67,263,343
Shahibagh to North Kapavia Trunk	635	12,694	69,815	7,372,443	13,513,607	65,456,452
Shahibagh to Mehrshahr	726	14,527	79,900	8,437,398	15,465,657	74,911,686
Jojokheti to Ganzak-Gor	446	8,916	49,038	5,178,413	9,491,974	45,976,691
Ganzak-Gor to Zatosht	321	6,427	35,350	3,732,918	6,842,397	33,142,821
Ganzak-Gor to Petros	217	4,332	23,826	2,516,026	4,611,847	22,338,608
Ganzak-Gor to Sazavar	1,310	26,198	144,091	15,216,031	27,890,817	135,095,979
Ganzak-Gor to Rusjar	2,318	46,354	254,945	26,922,171	49,348,043	239,029,291
Petros to Vey	168	3,360	18,480	1,951,488	3,577,056	17,326,344
Sazavar to Avey	708	14,158	77,867	8,222,734	15,072,181	73,005,788
Avey to Rusjar	689	13,776	75,768	8,001,101	14,665,930	71,038,010
Total	15,390	307,793	1,692,860	178,766,058	327,676,215	1,587,179,742

Initial progress

By 1711 AN, mudbrick ziggurats had been built at each of the designated station sites for the stages. Adjoining the station ziggurats were raised earthen platforms, retained by mudbrick walls, from which projected causeways of rammed earth, within their own mudbrick retaining walls, along which the eventual track of the railway was to be set. The official height of these causeways was set at nine-metres in height, with a width of thirty-six metres, although allowance had to be made for the variable competency of the work parties, the occurrence of subsidence in certain areas, and efforts to follow the gradient as best possible. Whilst the stage causeways were meant to follow as straight a path as possible, some allowances had to be made for the difficulties presented by the terrain, which included irradiated deserts, impenetrable mountain ranges, and vast unbridgeable gorges. Wherever possible these obstacles were to be worked around, but a more insidious problem was where, owing to a defect of communication between the surveying and construction teams of the various stages, the causeways were found to be misaligned as they approached one-another. Remediation efforts had the unedifying effect of producing causeways that sometimes zigzagged awkwardly towards their point of convergence. The arduous work of constructing these causeways, over a contaminated and bandit-infested environment, naturally took its toll upon the assigned kul labour force, requiring the sending out of warbands to conduct razzias so as to gather in fresh labourers; this in spite of the spike in the number of individuals selling themselves or their family members into bonded servitude owing to the Recession of 1709. As the causeways extended ever across the eastern portions of the Euran continent secondary camps began to be established at 100 km intervals. These satellite camps, enrounded by sand berms, stake pits, and barbed wire, served as worker barracks, storage depots, and rest stops for the continuous supply convoys.

In 1724 AN, Southern Eura Railway Corporation was incorporated to serve as the primary conduit by which the Commonwealth of Zeed would contribute to this effort. Since the end of the Third Euran War, survey of the potential locations, securing of right-of-way and initial land preparation had taken place since 1704.

Rolling stock

Purchased into service between 1715 AN and 1730 AN, primarily from New Alexandrian manufacturers.