Saratov is a major city in southern {{Russia}}. It is the administrative center of {{Saratov Oblast}} and a major port on the {{Volga River}}.
Saratovis acityand theadministrative centerofSaratov Oblast,Russia, and a major port on theVolga Riverlocated upstream (north) ofVolgograd.By the 1800s, Saratov had grown to become an important shipping port on the Volga. The Ryazan-Ural Railroadreached Saratov in 1870.In 1896 (26 years later), the line crossed the Volga and continued its eastward expansion. A unique train-ferry, owned by the Ryazan-Ural railroad, provided the connection across the river between the two parts of the railroad for 39 years, before the construction of a railway bridge in 1935.