Normally, to get to France from Russia, it would take several weeks or a few months, but with the advent of the steam locomotive in the European continent, traveling distant journeys were cut short. Tsar Paul's first journey from Paris to St. Petersburg only took a week. Though there is no direct line as they would have to ride steam locomotives from France and Prussia.
He dreamt that one day, the Russian Empire will have a vast network of railways connecting its farthest corners. As he gazed out of the steam locomotive window, the landscape whizzing past in a blur, he imagined the possibilities that such a network could bring. Rapid movement of goods, efficient transportation of troops, and above all, a sense of unity that the sprawling empire could benefit from.
