Georgian Railways
Sakartwelos Rkinigsa (Georgian საქართველოს რკინიგზა; Georgian Railway ) is the national Georgian Railway Company.
History
The structure of the network began in 1865. On 1 August 1871, the first line was opened, she led from Tbilisi to Zestaponi. The continuation to Poti was put into operation on 10 October 1872. For the periods 310 km of the total distance he needed 15 hours. 1883 the connection was made to the Azerbaijani Baku, which was connected to the Russian railway network. 1899 followed a route to Armenia. A direct rail link to Russia via Sukhumi was completed in 1946. On August 16, 1932, the electrical equipment was introduced on the sections Chaschuri - Zestaponi and Chaschuri - Surami, since 1966, the entire network is electrified.
The company was initially the name Transcaucasian Railway (Georgian ტრანსკავკასიური რკინიგზა ). The Parliament of the first Georgian Republic, it changed its name to Georgian Railway after 1918.
Since the war in 1992 between Georgia and the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are rail links between these regions and the rest of Georgia is not operating. The operating within Abkhazia and Russia is since 2010 by " Don Prigorod ", a subsidiary of Russian Railways ( RZD), carried out. However, the Georgian Railway expects still located in the Abkhazia part of the network to its network. In South Ossetia, there is no rail transport.
Presence
Georgia Railroad now has a total of 1612 km long, fully electrified rail network. The main route crosses the country from east to west. It starts in Baku, Azerbaijan, runs through Tbilisi to Samtredia. From there, there are connections to the ports of Batumi and Poti and Sukhumi over to Russia. In the future, Tbilisi also be connected to Kars in Turkey. About 80 % of the network pass through mountainous terrain with slopes up to 4.9%. 247 km run in curves with a radius of less than 300 meters.
The company is owned by the state and has the legal form of a limited company (Ltd. ). It works independently and has signed contracts with the railways of Azerbaijan and Armenia on the transit and traffic exchange. Since May 2006, she participated in the establishment of a Black Sea - railway corporation, which is to restore the railway links between the countries of the Southern Caucasus and Russia.
2007, the Georgian government decided to privatize the company. While the web continues to remain state-owned, but the operating rights should be given in private hands. For a model to be elaborated, the conversion into a private legal status is up for debate. Negotiations with the British company Parkfield Investment Ltd.. failed in October 2007.
While the Caucasus conflict 2008 units of the Russian armed forces separated the Georgian railway network into two halves. On August 16, they blew up a railway bridge built in 1871 on the main line near the town of Kaspi, 60 kilometers northwest of Tbilisi.
Modernization
By 2004, the Georgian Railway suffered from corruption. There was little investment in the modernization and repair of the train. Only 7,000 of 11,000 cars were operational. In contrast, the football stadium located in Tbilisi locomotive owned by Deutsche Bahn had the most modern sports facilities in the country. General Akaki Tschchaidse was arrested in 2004 and spent several months in custody before he was ransomed for three million dollars.
The railroad was reorganized in the same year, the Director-General under a supervisory board. From June 2004 to October 2005 was David Onoprischwili, a former finance minister and professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Director-General. He reformed the management and instructed the U.S. consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, who also works for the German railway, with an organizational expert opinion.
In order to promote the modernization, 2445 employees were laid off, raised wages at the same time by 17%. The tariffs for the transportation of goods were lowered, taken in travel modernized air-conditioned cars and express lines in operation. 2006 a program for the renovation and construction of new stations was launched. The stations Machindschauri ( railway station in the suburb of Batumi ) and Kobuleti received new station building, as of 2010, the station Kutaisi -I.
The main building of the Tbilisi Central Station was renovated and officially opened in May 2010. The railway line through Tbilisi to be in the coming years is replaced by a double track bypass connection north of Tbilisi. The central train station is shut down after the opening of the new route and dismantled the railway infrastructure. Instead, there will be two terminal stations for passenger - in the northwest of Tbilisi Didube the station ( at the same station of the Tbilisi Metro ) and the South East Nawtlughi station (near the Samgori Metro station ). A solid compound for passenger trains, or a direct transition is not possible in the future. Unlike the American consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, the project is controversial in Western European transport experts.