A railway built in 1891–1904 from Moscow east around the southern end of Lake Baikal to Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan, a distance of 9311 km (5786 miles). It opened up Siberia and advanced Russian interest in east Asia. A major extension to the north of Lake Baikal (the Baikal–Amur Mainline) was completed in 1984 and stretches 3102 km (1952 miles) from Ust‐Kut in east Siberia to the Pacific coast.