Abkhazian railway
Map of Abkhazia, with its railway lines.
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Sukhumi railway station, the biggest in Abkhazia.
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| Dates of operation | 1992–present |
| Predecessor | Georgian Railways (USSR) |
| Track gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) |
| Headquarters | Sukhumi |
| Website | Press here |
Abkhazian railway is a rail operator in the partially recognised state of Abkhazia, controlled by Russian Railways.
Consists of a 101 km (63 mi) rail line along the Black Sea coast. Built to 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) Russian gauge, it connected Russia's North Caucasus Railway with Georgian Railways prior to 1992. This connection was severed as a result of the War in Abkhazia. The railway is administered by the Abkhazskaya Zheleznaya Doroga (Russian: Абхазская Железная Дорога, Abkhaz: Аҧсны Аиҳаамҩа) company.
As of 2016, there is a daily long-distance train between Moscow and Sukhumi, and some suburb trains between Adler and Gagra.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and damaging of the Transcaucasian Railway lines, the Samtredskoye part to the west of the Inguri River came under control of the Abkhazian railway.
The bridge over the Inguri River was blown up on 14 August 1992, which was the day when Georgian forces entered Abkhazia and is the date considered as the start of the War in Abkhazia. The pretext for sending the Georgian National Guard to Abkhazia in 1992 was to protect the railroad. The bridge was subsequently restored but blown up again in 1993, after the end of the war.
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Wikipedia