Libau–Romny Railway

To do so it passed through Minsk The objective of the railway was to deliver Ukrainian exports, particularly grain, to the Baltic Sea where it could be further shipped.

Afterwards the concession was granted to the Libau-Romny railway company which was founded by businessmen who were interested in exporting Ukrainian grain.

The company was headed by engineer baron Karl Otto Georg von Meck.

On 15 December 1871 the state finished and approved the design, the new railway line was supposed to cross the Courland, Kaunas, Vilnius, Minsk, Mogilev and Chernihiv governorates.

In the First World War the portion west of Smorgon (now Smarhon') fell into German hands in the great Austro-German advance of May–September 1915, the rest following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.