The first railway line in Turkmenistan was opened in 1885 between Krasnovodsk (present day Türkmenbaşy) on the Caspian Sea and Ashgabat, extending to Chardzhou (present day Turkmenabat) the following year and to Samarqand (in present day Uzbekistan) by 1888. Construction of the line had commence when the region became part of the Russian Empire, as Transcaspia. Although initially planned as a narrow gauge line, it was completed to the Russian standard gauge of 1524mm (later 1520mm).
The line was isolated from the rest of the Russian network until 1905 when a train ferry service was inaugurated between Krasnovodsk and Baku (present day Bakı, Azerbaijan). An overland connection via Orenburg (Russia) was completed the following year, but the train ferry remained in use.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, border disputes with Uzbekistan led to the closure of the international rail link with that country for several years. A new standard (1435mm) gauge rail link with Iran opened in 1996.
A short international link with Afghanistan was opened by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, but closed on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The link was reinstated in 2007.
© 2004-2011
Glyn Williams
Flag image from CIA World Factbook
