North Caucasus Railway

The North Caucasus Railway (Russian: Северо-Кавказская железная дорога) is a 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) broad gauge Russian railway network that links the Sea of Azov (in the west) and Caspian Sea (in the east). It runs through ten federal subjects: Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Republic of Adygeya, Karachay–Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and Kalmykia. The headquarters are the North Caucasus Railway Administration Building in Rostov-on-Don.

Not to be confused with the Armenian South Caucasus Railway, that belongs to Russian Railways.

Северо-Кавказская железная дорога
North Caucasus Railway
North Caucasus Railway Administration Building, Rostov-on-Don
Overview
HeadquartersRostov-on-Don
LocaleRussia
Dates of operation1922–present
PredecessorNorth Caucasus Railway (USSR, Russian Empire)
Technical
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
Length6,315.9 km (3,920 mi)
Other
WebsitePress here

The network comprises Grozny, Krasnodar, Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, and Rostov passenger and freight railways, as well as two children's railways (in Vladikavkaz and Rostov). As of 2005, there were 6315.9 km of railtrack and 403 railway stations. The railway is operated by the Russian Railways and employs 80,757 people.

The Black Sea resorts of Sochi, Gelendzhik and Anapa are the principal passenger destinations on the railway. The Sochi line, running for many miles along the coast of the Black Sea, is especially busy in summer with regular extra direct express trains for holiday makers. The oil ports at Novorossiysk and Tuapse are significant destinations for rail freight traffic.

Major railway stations

Construction timeline
The Kazan-Adler train running along the coast of the Black Sea

In 1937 the North Caucasus Railway was renamed after the Soviet party leader Sergo Ordzhonikidze but soon reverted to its traditional name. It was in the late 1950s that most of the railway network was electrified.

In 1987 the line from Zverevo north to Chertkovo was transferred from the South Eastern Railway to the North Caucasus Railway, with the new connection between the two railways being just north of Chertkovo railway station.

Media related to North Caucasus Railway at Wikimedia Commons

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