Georgia's railway stretches across the entire territory of the state. It operates lines with a length of about 1323.9 km, as well as many bridges, tunnels, passenger stations and loading stations.
Georgian railway tracks
What is the Georgian railway? It is a strategic object of the country and a key link between Armenia, Azerbaijan and European countries.
Docking of the railways of Georgia and Armenia takes place at Sadakhlo station. The state border of Georgia with Azerbaijan converges with the border of their railway lines. Transit cargoes of these countries go through the territory of the state to Europe.
Electrification of the Georgian railway was almost entirely completed. Only the branch Ninotsminda - Akhalkalaki remained. During the collapse of the USSR in 1991, electrification was stopped here, and it has not been resumed since.
The section between the cities of Samtredia, Tbilisi and Gardabani (a city located on the border of Georgia and Azerbaijan) consists of two tracks, while all other areas have one track.
Construction history
In 1856, engineer-captainStatkovsky made a report that it was necessary to start building a railway on the territory of Georgia. At the heart of his project was the connection of the cities of Baku and Tiflis. This would make it possible to deliver Nizhny Novgorod goods along the Volga and the Caspian Sea. And in Baku and Poti, the goods would have been delivered by rail.
In Georgia, the opening of the first branch took place in 1872. It connected the city of Poti with Tiflis, present-day Tbilisi.
A significant date in the life of Georgia was the day of August 16, 1932. Then the first electric locomotive was launched in the country.
Electrification in Georgia was fully completed in 1967.
The Georgian railway until 1991 was an integral part of the Transcaucasian.
After the referendum in 1991, which resulted in the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a division of the Transcaucasian Railway. And as a result of this, three branches were formed: Abkhazian, Armenian and Georgian. The Samtrede and Tbilisi branches were carrying out maintenance work on the section where the Georgian road was located.
The railway has been used as a testing ground since the days of the Soviet Union. Here, rolling stock was tested, in particular electric locomotives, which were produced and operated both in the USSR and outside the country. The branch between Zestafoni and Khashuri, running along the Surami pass, was considered the main test site. In 1932, the Surami Pass railway line was the first in the USSR to be electrified and used to transport goods by railway.
Development plans
Georgian Railway has plans to reconstruct the main highway Tbilisi-Batumi to improve the possibility of high-speed traffic.
The construction of the second track of the Samtredia-Batumi branch is planned, due to the greatly increased freight turnover in this direction.
Reconstruction of many Georgian railway stations is planned, the condition of which is currently not the best.
The northern railway bypass of Tbilisi is planned to be built to remove dangerous freight transport from the city center. The Central Railway Station will also be moved. The construction of two main stations is planned. Trains will run westward from Didube Station and eastward from Samgori.
In order to completely modernize the main railway line of Georgia, the plans are paying special attention to the strategic project "Fast Railway". To this end, a new direct branch will be built through the Rikotsky pass.
The Tbilisi-Batumi high-speed railway will have a length of 450 km. This will result in trains being on the road for less time. And it will be possible to get from Tbilisi to the Black Sea coast in 3 hours. According to the project, it is planned to lay new rails here. Complete electrification. The project includes the construction of new bridges, tunnels and other engineering structures.
Georgian Railway LLC
In 2011, the plans of the Georgian railwayincluded raising external financing through the placement of shares in the Georgian Railway company. But later it was decided to abandon this. Its entire authorized capital is state-owned.
Georgian Railway plans to introduce SAP technologies. It will be the first company among the CIS and Transcaucasia. This will allow you to control the business processes of production at the present stage and effectively simplify the process of making decisions regarding the main business issues.
Following the implementation of cutting-edge SAP technologies, there will be an increase in operating income, a reduction in reserve inventory, financial and repair costs and receivables.
Capital Railway Station
Tbilisi railway station is located on Station Square. It is located in the northwestern part of the city.
In 1872, when the construction of a branch line between Zestafi and Tiflis was completed, it was opened in Tiflis (Tbilisi).
In the 50s of the XX century, the old station was demolished and a building of "Stalinist" architecture was built.
Tbilisi modern railway station consists of two passenger terminals: Central and Borjomi. His building has been remodeled. Now here is the Tbilisi-Central shopping mall. The ticket office and the waiting room have been renovated.
Intercity and international trains depart from the station. Suburban trains also depart from here. The train to Tbilisi also arrives at the Central Station.
At the box office you can buy tickets only for cash, althoughcredit card symbols pasted on windows.
From two in the morning until six in the morning, the station is closed, so you can not spend the night here.
Cargo stations of Georgia
Tbilisi-Tovarnaya freight station operates in Tbilisi. It is open for cargo work while transporting and storing cargo.
Also, a cargo station operates in the city of Rustavi. It was built on the line between Tbilisi and Baku.
How to get from Tbilisi to Batumi?
You can get from the Georgian capital Tbilisi to Batumi by purchasing tickets for the Tbilisi-Batumi train. In this direction, the movement of high-speed comfortable trains has been established. They depart from the central station 3 times a day: in the morning, after 12.00 and at night. You can find out the exact time of departure by visiting the website of the Georgian railway. You can also buy train tickets here. The fare ranges from 19 to 30 lari and depends on the class of the carriage.
Tbilisi-Batumi train is about 5 hours on the road.
Modern Railway of Georgia
Modern Georgian railway is widely developed. Traction rolling stock is constantly updated, where preference is given to electric locomotives produced at the electric locomotive building plant in Tbilisi. VMK electric trains are the newest in the railroad's multi-unit rolling stock.
