Transcaucasus Railway
Encyclopedia
The Transcaucus Railway was the first railway in Caucasia
. It was funded by the Russian Empire
as a strategic railway
connecting the Black Sea
to the Caspian Sea
. Caucasia was a land disputed between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire
. The railway would allow the Russian army to have better control of Caucasia. Also with the Trans-Caspian railway
, Russia could transport troops from Central Asia
much faster. The railway operated as a private company between 1865–1922 and a subsidiary railway of the Soviet Railways from 1922-1991.
on the Black Sea. The railway reached Zestafoni in 1871 and T'bilisi in 1872. A branch line was built to Kutaisi
, branching from Brotseula, in 1877. In 1883 the railway was completed to Baku
. Once the railway was completed to Baku, freight trains carrying oil
went from Baku to Poti
to be shipped to other cities in Russia via the Black Sea. During the Russian-Ottoman war from 1877–1878, the Russian Empire gained territory into Anatolia
from the Ottoman Empire
after defeating them during the Battle of Kars
. This new territory included the fortress city of Kars
. In 1887 a branch line was built to Tkibuli
. In 1894 a branch line, splitting of at Khashuri
, was built to Borjomi
. Kars was a strategic city for the Russians in Anatolia, so in 1899 the railway built a branch line from T'blisi to Kars. The Transcaucasus Railway was connected to the rest of the Russian system in 1900, when the line from Baku to Makhachkala
was completed. In 1902, a narrow gauge
railway from Borjomi to Bakuriani
was built to serve the skiing
community in the region. In 1913 the railway was extended from Kars to Sarıkamış
; the border of the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire at the time. When World War I
broke out in 1914, the Russian Empire sided with the Allied powers
while the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers
making the two empires enemies. After the Erzerum Offensive, Russia gained control city of Erzurum
. To support campaigns further into Ottoman territory, a narrow gauge (750mm) railway was built from Sarıkamış to Erzurum in 1916 and later into Yeniköy
during the same year. Russia had to stop fighting in the war because of the Russian revolution of 1917, that lead to the dissolution of the Russian Empire
.
. The Ottoman Empire lost, along with the Central Powers, giving northeastern Anatolia to Armenia
. In 1919 the Turkish War of Independence
broke out and northeastern Anatolia was taken back by the Turks, this time as the Republic of Turkey. The Treaty of Gümrü was signed on December 2, 1920 setting the present day borders of Turkey. The Transcaucasus Railway continued to operated the 404 km part of its system in Turkey. In 1921 the Erzurum-Yeniköy section of the line was abandoned.
. In 1927, the Akyaka-Erzurum (in Turkey) section of its system was acquired by the Turkish State Railways
. The railway built a branch line from Gyumri to Maralik
in 1925. the railway built a line north to connect with the Soviet Railways at Adler
branching of at Senaki
, the line was completed to Gali
in 1930, Sukhumi
in 1938 and Adler in 1949. A branch line to Tkvarcheli
was built in 1940. A line from Kutaisi to Tskhaltubo
was built in 1935 along with a branch to Tskhinvali
in 1940. In 1941 the railway built two lines: one from Shirvan to Julfa and one from Salyan
to Astara
on the Azerbaijan-Iran border, thus connecting with the Iranian system. A line was built to the port city of Batumi
was later built in the 1960s.
the railway was divided among the new countries that were formed. Jalama-Makhachkala part of the Baku-Makhachkala line was acquired by the Russian Railways
. The tracks in Georgia were acquired by the Georgian Railways LLC
, although the tracks in Abkhazia
were taken over by the Abkhazian railway (this company was later absorbed by the Georgian railways). The tracks in Azerbaijan
and Nakhchivan were taken over by the Azerbaijan State Railway
and the tracks in Armenia were taken over by the Armenian Railway
.
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. It was funded by the 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...
as a strategic railway
Strategic railway
A strategic railway is a railway proposed or constructed primarily for military strategic purposes, as opposed to the usual purpose of a railway, which is the transport of civilian passengers or freight. Although the archetypal strategic railway would be one constructed solely as part of a...
connecting 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 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...
. Caucasia was a land disputed between the Russian Empire and 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...
. The railway would allow the Russian army to have better control of Caucasia. Also with the Trans-Caspian railway
Trans-Caspian railway
The Trans-Caspian Railway is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by the Russian Empire during its expansion into Central Asia in the 19th century. The railway was started in 1879, following the Russian defeat of Khokand...
, Russia could transport troops from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
much faster. The railway operated as a private company between 1865–1922 and a subsidiary railway of the Soviet Railways from 1922-1991.
Russian Empire (1865-1917)
The railway started in 1865 at the port town of PotiPoti
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...
on the Black Sea. The railway reached Zestafoni in 1871 and T'bilisi in 1872. A branch line was built to Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
, branching from Brotseula, in 1877. In 1883 the railway was completed 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...
. Once the railway was completed to Baku, freight trains carrying oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
went from Baku to 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...
to be shipped to other cities in Russia via the Black Sea. During the Russian-Ottoman war from 1877–1878, the Russian Empire gained territory into Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
from 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...
after defeating them during the Battle of Kars
Battle of Kars
The Battle of Kars was a decisive Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War .In June, 1877 Russian forces attempted a siege of Kars but were driven off by an Ottoman army at the Battle of Kizil-Tepe. In November Russian commander in the Caucasus, Grand Duke Michael,...
. This new territory included the fortress city 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...
. In 1887 a branch line was built to Tkibuli
Tkibuli
Tkibuli or Tqibuli is a town in west-central Georgia, Imereti Region. It is located at around . It is situated at the northern edge of Imereti region, close to the region of Rach'a, at the foot of Nakerala mountain. The town is a coal mining centre. Tkibuli is located between two man-made...
. In 1894 a branch line, splitting of at Khashuri
Khashuri
Khashuri is a town in central Georgia. It is located on the Mtkvari River.Khashuri is first mentioned in the 1693 document. Modern Khashuri was founded in 1872 as a modest railway halt called "Mikhaylovo" after Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, Viceroy of the Caucasus. In 1917, it was...
, was built to Borjomi
Borjomi
Borjomi is a resort town in south-central Georgia with a population estimated at 14,445. It is one of the districts of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern part of the region in the picturesque Borjomi Gorge on the eastern edge of the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park...
. Kars was a strategic city for the Russians in Anatolia, so in 1899 the railway built a branch line from T'blisi to Kars. The Transcaucasus Railway was connected to the rest of the Russian system in 1900, when the line from Baku to Makhachkala
Makhachkala
-Twin towns/sister cities:Makhachkala is twinned with: Sfax, Tunisia Siping, China Spokane, United States Vladikavkaz, Russia Yalova, Turkey Ndola, Zambia-See also:*...
was completed. In 1902, a narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway from Borjomi to Bakuriani
Bakuriani
Bakuriani is a skiing resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia. It is located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an elevation of 1,700 meters above sea level....
was built to serve the skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
community in the region. In 1913 the railway was extended from Kars to Sarıkamış
Sarıkamış
Sarıkamış is a town and a district of Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The population is 17,860 as of 2010.The town sits in a valley and is surrounded by mountains, many of which are covered with pine forests. It has very long winters, with average of 7–8 ft of...
; the border of the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire at the time. When World War I
World 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...
broke out in 1914, the Russian Empire sided with the Allied powers
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
while the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
making the two empires enemies. After the Erzerum Offensive, Russia gained control city of Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
. To support campaigns further into Ottoman territory, a narrow gauge (750mm) railway was built from Sarıkamış to Erzurum in 1916 and later into Yeniköy
Yenikoy
Yenikoy is a small village in the Region of Afyonkarahisar in Turkey. It is a traditional Anatolian village. Its local government is a Muhtarlik...
during the same year. Russia had to stop fighting in the war because of the Russian revolution of 1917, that lead to the dissolution of the 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...
.
Russian Civil War (1918-1922)
With the dissolution of the Russian Empire, a 147 km part of the Julfa-Tabriz line was acquired by the Islamic Republic of Iran RailwaysIslamic Republic of Iran Railways
The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways is the national state-owned railway system of Iran. is an associate of the IR and manages its passenger trains including international trains between Tehran and Istanbul and Tehran and Damascus...
. The Ottoman Empire lost, along with the Central Powers, giving northeastern Anatolia to Armenia
Democratic Republic of Armenia
The Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...
. In 1919 the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
broke out and northeastern Anatolia was taken back by the Turks, this time as the Republic of Turkey. The Treaty of Gümrü was signed on December 2, 1920 setting the present day borders of Turkey. The Transcaucasus Railway continued to operated the 404 km part of its system in Turkey. In 1921 the Erzurum-Yeniköy section of the line was abandoned.
Soviet Union (1922-1991)
The Soviet Union was formed in 1922, and the Transcaucasus Railway was absorbed by the Soviet Railways but continued to operate as a subsidiary railway. In 1924 the railway started building a line from Baku, south to Alyat, Shirvan and to the port city of NeftchalaNeftchala
Neftchala is a rayon on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Its name is Persian نفت چاله Naft-Chala and means oil trench.-History:The Neftchala region was formed as district in the composition of Azerbaijan Republic on February 11, 1940...
. In 1927, the Akyaka-Erzurum (in Turkey) section of its system was acquired by the Turkish State Railways
Turkish State Railways
The State Railways of the Turkish Republic or TCDD is the government owned, national railway carrier in the Republic of Turkey, headquartered in Ankara...
. The railway built a branch line from Gyumri to Maralik
Maralik
Maralik is a city in Armenian province of Shirak. The city has a church which was built in 1903 including many khachkars dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries.-Uses in fiction:...
in 1925. the railway built a line north to connect with the Soviet Railways at Adler
Adler
The term Adler, the German word for the bird of prey "eagle", is both the last name of many people and an emblematic bird featured on many blazons since the feudal age, including the present German Bundeswappen and at times on the flags of Austria and Germany...
branching of at Senaki
Senaki
Senaki is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around .From 1935 to 1976 it was called Tskhakaya in honor of the Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Mikhail Tskhakaya....
, the line was completed to Gali
Gali
Gali may refer to:* Gali , a town in Abkhazia, Georgia* Gali District, Abkhazia* Gali Municipality, Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia* Gali District, Georgia* Toa Gali, a hero in Lego's Bionicle storyline...
in 1930, Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
in 1938 and Adler in 1949. A branch line to Tkvarcheli
Tkvarcheli
Tkvarcheli is a town in Abkhazia. It is situated on the river Ghalidzga and the railroad connects it with Ochamchira.-History:...
was built in 1940. A line from Kutaisi to Tskhaltubo
Tskhaltubo
Tsqaltubo is a spa resort in west-central Georgia. It is located at around . It is the main town of the Tsqaltubo district of the Imereti province...
was built in 1935 along with a branch to Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali
Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...
in 1940. In 1941 the railway built two lines: one from Shirvan to Julfa and one from Salyan
Salyan
Salyan is a raion of Azerbaijan. Its capital is Salyan. It lays adjacent to the Kura River. To the north are several productive oilfields operated by the Salyan Oil company. It also comprises most of the Shirvan National Park....
to Astara
Astara
Astara may refer to:* Astara * Astara, Iran* Astara, Azerbaijansee also: Astana...
on the Azerbaijan-Iran border, thus connecting with the Iranian system. A line was built to the port city of Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
was later built in the 1960s.
Dissolution of the Railway (1991)
After the dissolution of the Soviet UnionDissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
the railway was divided among the new countries that were formed. Jalama-Makhachkala part of the Baku-Makhachkala line was acquired by the Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
. The tracks in Georgia were acquired by the Georgian Railways LLC
Georgian Railway
Georgian Railway LLC is the national rail company of the country of Georgia.A vital artery linking the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, it sits on the shortest route between Europe and Central Asia...
, although the tracks in 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...
were taken over by the Abkhazian railway (this company was later absorbed by the Georgian railways). The tracks in 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...
and Nakhchivan were taken over by the Azerbaijan State Railway
Azerbaijan State Railway
"Azerbaijan Railways" Closed Joint-Stock Company is the national state-owned rail transport operator in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The , gauge network is electrified at 3 kV DC...
and the tracks in Armenia were taken over by the Armenian Railway
Armenian Railway
The Armenian Railways are the national rail operator in Armenia. The , gauge network is electrified at 3 kV DC.The operating environment has deteriorated since the collapse of the Soviet Union...
.