Kars Gyumri Akhalkalaki railway line
Encyclopedia
The Kars–Gyumri–Tbilisi railway line is a railway line that runs from the city of Kars
in Turkey
to the Armenia
n city of Gyumri
, then from there on to Tbilisi
, Georgia
.
Originally completed in 1899, the railway has been highly important during the Soviet era, both as the only rail link between Turkey and the USSR (Kars-Gyumri), and one of the two main railway connections between Armenia and other Soviet Republics (Gymri-Tbilisi). While the Gyumri-Tbilisi section remains Armenia's lifeline to the outside world, the Kars-Gymri section has not been operational since 1993, when Turkey following the Nagorno-Karabakh War
between Armenia and Turkic-speaking
Azerbaijan
closed the border with Armenia in support for the Azeris in the war with Armenia.
Since the Kars–Gymri section has not been in operation due to the closed Turkish-Armenian border, in April 2005, an agreement was signed to build a direct connection across the Turkish-Georgian border from Kars to Georgia's Akhalkalaki
, and to rehabilitate the existing railways from Akhalkalaki
to Tbilisi to Baku
, this creating the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku mainline. Most of the countries including European Union
and United States
have said they will not assist in promoting or developing the proposed Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway line.
, all were parts of Russian Empire
.
By the late 1880s, the railway system of Russian Transcaucasia consisted of the mainline from Poti
and Batum on the Black Sea
to Tiflis (now Tbilisi) to Baku
on the Caspian Sea
, ran by the Transcaucasian Railway.
The on-site study of the future railway route from Tiflis (now Tbilisi) to Alexandropol (now Gyumri) to Kars were initiated in the spring of 1894 by the Imperial Ministry of Communications and the management of the Transcaucasian Railway. The construction work, led by engineer E. Wurzel , was completed in December 1899.
In 1899, work also started on a branch line from Alexandropol (Gyumri) south to Yerevan
. That branch was completed in 1902, and later extended to Julfa
on the Iran
ian border.
, this railway was used to supply Russian troops fighting the Ottoman Empire
in Anatolia
. After the war, Turkey took possession of Kars
, and re-gauged the part of the railway that was now in Turkey from the Russian gauge
to the standard gauge
.
During the USSR era, the Gyumri-Kars line became the only direct railway connection between the USSR and Turkey. Most of the time, the Soviet Armenian railway people at the last Soviet station, Akhuryan
(the border station is apparently here: 40°44′8"N 43°47′13"E, although it may be not the main Akhuryuan station), had a fairly good working relationship with their Turkish colleagues at Dogukapi (station apparently here: 40°43′46"N 43°44′1"E) on the Turkish side of the border. In the mid-1980s, the annual freight volume across the border was around 65,000 tons, peaking at 180,000 tons in 1989. This apparently was still much less than the railway's [potential] capacity, which was as high as 6,000,000 tons per year.
Until a crane for changing railcar bogies was purchased at Akhuryan - quite late in the border stations' history, almost right before the border was closed - the cargo had to be reloaded from Soviet rail cars to Turkish ones, and vice versa. The Turkish Dogukapi, on the other hand, has a crane for moving shipping container
s between broad-gauge and standard-gauge cars.
In 1986, the construction of a 160-kilometer branch line from Marabda
(on the Tbilisi-Gyumri line, 23 km south of Tbilisi Junction) west to Akhalkalaki
was completed.
This branch fell into disuse later on, but is being rehabilitated now as part of the future Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway.
The Gyumri-Tbilisi section is a part of the Yerevan-Tbilisi mainline, and is the Armenia's only functioning rail connection to the outside world, as Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed, and the direct Armenia-Iran rail link is still on the drawing board. During the Soviet era, this line was used by direct trains from Yerevan to Moscow and elsewhere in the USSR; but now trains from Armenia can only reach Georgia, because Georgia's rail connection with Russia has been severed due to the Abkhazia
n war, and Georgia's rail link to Azerbaijan is of little use to Armenians.
Kars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to the Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n city of Gyumri
Gyumri
Gyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
, then from there on to Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Originally completed in 1899, the railway has been highly important during the Soviet era, both as the only rail link between Turkey and the USSR (Kars-Gyumri), and one of the two main railway connections between Armenia and other Soviet Republics (Gymri-Tbilisi). While the Gyumri-Tbilisi section remains Armenia's lifeline to the outside world, the Kars-Gymri section has not been operational since 1993, when Turkey following the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
between Armenia and Turkic-speaking
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
closed the border with Armenia in support for the Azeris in the war with Armenia.
Since the Kars–Gymri section has not been in operation due to the closed Turkish-Armenian border, in April 2005, an agreement was signed to build a direct connection across the Turkish-Georgian border from Kars to Georgia's Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
, and to rehabilitate the existing railways from Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
to Tbilisi to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, this creating the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku mainline. Most of the countries including European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have said they will not assist in promoting or developing the proposed Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway line.
Construction
The railway was built in the late 19th century, when Georgia and Armenia, as well as the recently conquered Kars OblastKars Oblast
Kars Oblast was one of Transcaucasian governorates of Russian Empire between 1878 and 1917. Its capital was in the city of Kars, presently in the Republic of Turkey. The governorate bordered with the Ottoman Empire, Batum Oblast, Tiflis Governorate, Erivan Governorate, and from 1883 to 1903 with...
, all were parts of Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
By the late 1880s, the railway system of Russian Transcaucasia consisted of the mainline from Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
and Batum on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
to Tiflis (now Tbilisi) to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
on the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, ran by the Transcaucasian Railway.
The on-site study of the future railway route from Tiflis (now Tbilisi) to Alexandropol (now Gyumri) to Kars were initiated in the spring of 1894 by the Imperial Ministry of Communications and the management of the Transcaucasian Railway. The construction work, led by engineer E. Wurzel , was completed in December 1899.
In 1899, work also started on a branch line from Alexandropol (Gyumri) south to Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. That branch was completed in 1902, and later extended to Julfa
Julfa
Julfa or Culfa may refer to:*Jolfa, a city in the East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*Jolfa County, an administrative subdivision of East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*New Julfa, an Armenian quarter in Isfahan, Iran...
on the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian border.
Operation
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, this railway was used to supply Russian troops fighting the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. After the war, Turkey took possession of Kars
Kars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
, and re-gauged the part of the railway that was now in Turkey from the Russian gauge
Russian gauge
In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
to the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
.
During the USSR era, the Gyumri-Kars line became the only direct railway connection between the USSR and Turkey. Most of the time, the Soviet Armenian railway people at the last Soviet station, Akhuryan
Akhuryan
Akhuryan is a village and rural community in the Shirak Province of Armenia. The National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia reported its population was 9,643 in 2010, down from 9,696 at the 2001 census....
(the border station is apparently here: 40°44′8"N 43°47′13"E, although it may be not the main Akhuryuan station), had a fairly good working relationship with their Turkish colleagues at Dogukapi (station apparently here: 40°43′46"N 43°44′1"E) on the Turkish side of the border. In the mid-1980s, the annual freight volume across the border was around 65,000 tons, peaking at 180,000 tons in 1989. This apparently was still much less than the railway's [potential] capacity, which was as high as 6,000,000 tons per year.
Until a crane for changing railcar bogies was purchased at Akhuryan - quite late in the border stations' history, almost right before the border was closed - the cargo had to be reloaded from Soviet rail cars to Turkish ones, and vice versa. The Turkish Dogukapi, on the other hand, has a crane for moving shipping container
Shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...
s between broad-gauge and standard-gauge cars.
In 1986, the construction of a 160-kilometer branch line from Marabda
Marabda
Marabda is a town in Georgia, located some 23 km south of the capital Tbilisi, and a few kilometers north of Marneuli.- Transport :Marabda is served by a Georgian Railway station on the Tbilisi–Gyumri line, 23 km south of Tbilisi Junction...
(on the Tbilisi-Gyumri line, 23 km south of Tbilisi Junction) west to Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
was completed.
This branch fell into disuse later on, but is being rehabilitated now as part of the future Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway.
Closing of the Kars-Gyumri section
The last freight train crossed the Turkish-Armenian border on July 6, 1993. A few days later, the border between Turkey and Armenia was closed. The two governments agreed to exchange empty railcars (there were some empty Turkish cars left at the Armenian Akhuryan Station, and some Armenian ones at the Turkish Dogukapi), which was done on July 11. Since then, no train has crossed the border.The Gyumri-Tbilisi section is a part of the Yerevan-Tbilisi mainline, and is the Armenia's only functioning rail connection to the outside world, as Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed, and the direct Armenia-Iran rail link is still on the drawing board. During the Soviet era, this line was used by direct trains from Yerevan to Moscow and elsewhere in the USSR; but now trains from Armenia can only reach Georgia, because Georgia's rail connection with Russia has been severed due to the Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
n war, and Georgia's rail link to Azerbaijan is of little use to Armenians.