Railway system of the Soviet Union
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Soviet Railways (Russian: Советские железные дороги (СЖД)) was the state owned national railway system of the Soviet Union, headquartered in Moscow. The railway started operations in December 1922, shortly after the formation of the Soviet Union. Soviet Railways greatly upgraded and expanded the Russian Imperial Railways to meet the demands of the new country. It operated until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
The Soviet Railways were the largest unified railway in the world and the backbone of the Soviet Union's economy. The railway was directly under the control of the Ministry of Railways in the Soviet Union.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Soviet Railways split into fifteen different national railways belonging to the respective countries. After the end of Soviet Railways, however, rail transport in the former Soviet states greatly declined and has not recovered to its former efficiency to this day. By mileage, Russian Railways was the primary successor of Soviet Railways. Newly-independent countries following the breakup, such as those in Central Asia, inherited the Soviet infrastructure.
Successor railways
| Railway | Native name | Country | Year started | Length (in km) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenian Railways | Հայկական երկաթուղի Haykakan yerkat’ughi (HYU) | Armenia | 1992–2008 | 845 km | Railway operations and infrastructure taken over by South Caucasus Railway (Հարավկովկասյան երկաթուղի, Haravkovkasyan yerkat’ughi) in 2008, a subsidiary of Russian Railways. |
| Azerbaijan Railways | Azərbaycan Dəmir Yolları (ADY) | Azerbaijan | 1991 | 2,932 km | |
| Belarusian Railway | Беларуская чыгунка Belaruskaya Chygunka (BCh) | Belarus | 1992 | 5,490 km | |
| Estonian Railways | Eesti Raudtee (EVR) | Estonia | 1992 | 816 km | Train operations have since been separated as Elron, Edelaraudtee, Operail and GoRail. |
| Georgian Railways | საქართველოს რკინიგზა sakartvelos rk'inigza (SR) | Georgia | 1992 | 1,513 km | In the de facto independent Abkhazia, the railway has been operated by Abkhaz Railway since 1992. |
| Kazakhstan Railways | Қазақстан Темір Жолы Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) | Kazakhstan | 1997 | 15,000 km | |
| Kyrgyz Railways | Кыргыз Темир Жолу Kyrgyz Temir Jolu (KTJ) | Kyrgyzstan | 1992 | 417 km | |
| Latvian Railways | Latvijas dzelzceļš (LDz) | Latvia | 1992 | 2,269 km | Passenger operations have since been taken over by the separate company Pasažieru vilciens (PV). |
| Lithuanian Railways | Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LTG) | Lithuania | 1991 | 1,766 km | |
| Moldovan Railways | Calea Ferată din Moldova (CFM) | Moldova | 1992 | 1,156 km | Railway operations in the de facto independent Transnistria are operated by Transnistrian Railway (Приднестровская железная дорога, Pridnestrovskaya zheleznaya doroga). |
| Russian Railways | Российские железные дороги Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (RŽD) | Russia | 1992 | 85,281 km | |
| Tajik Railways | Роӽи оӽани Тоҷикистон Rohi ohani Toçikiston | Tajikistan | 1992 | 616 km | |
| Türkmendemirýollary | Demirýollary | Turkmenistan | 1997 | 4,980 km | |
| Ukrainian Railways | Укрзалізниця Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) | Ukraine | 1991 | 22,300 km | |
| Uzbek Railways | Oʻzbekiston Temir Yoʻllari (OTY) | Uzbekistan | 1994 | 4,669 km |
See also
- Rail transport in the Soviet Union
- Russian Railways
- History of rail transport in Russia
- Transport in the Soviet Union
- Industrial railway
- Sibirjak
- Russian Railway Museum, in Saint Petersburg, which is home to former Soviet locomotives and other machinery.
Further reading
- Kelly, Peter (April 1984). "Railways in the Soviet Union". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 24–27. ISSN . OCLC .