Streckelət – Culfa railway line

Ələt – Culfa
Route length:	409 km
Gauge :	1524 mm / 1520 mm
Power system :	3000  =
Legend Railway Poti – Baku from Baku 0 Ələt Poti – Baku railway line to Tbilisi , Poti , Batumi to Ələt Liman (port) 5 Ələt Novaya 9 Çidirlı 21st Znoini 36 Qaragünə to the Poti – Baku railway line 48 Şirvan before 2008: "Əli Bayramlı" 60 Osmanlı Osmanlı – Astara railway line 69 Kilometer 69 74 Mursali 85 0 Sarıcalyar 6th Sabirabad 96 Saatlı 103 Kilometer 103 Becari 116 Kilometer 116 48 Ağcabədi 139 0 Vataqi 12 Bəhramtəpə 145 Km 145 Axmedi 151 Xalas 165 Daşburun Araz Dilağarda 172 Kilometer 172 176 Beqmanli 186 Bala-Beqmanli 190 Qacili 195 Km 194 202 Horadiz 209 Km 208 216 Mərcanlı 225 Maxmudlı 233 Kilometer232 236 Soltanlı Alıkeyxalı 247 Xələfli Xumarlı 256 Xudafərin 259 Qumlaq 269 Akara 275 Xurama 283 0 Mincevan 11 Zəngilan 15th Kişlak 26th Şeyflü Azerbaijan / Armenia 39 Kapan 298 Km 298 306 Aqbent Azerbaijan / Armenia 315 Nrnadsor before 1994: Nüvədi Dschulan 328 Schwanidsor formerly: Astazur 338 Meghri 347 Kartshevan Agarak Armenia / Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan) 353 Zerani 362 Salamalik 370 Ordubad 377 Dasta 387 Aza 396 Yaycı Tabriz – Dscholfa railway line Dscholfa Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) / Iran , Aras 409 Culfa Yerevan – Jolfa railway line

The Ələt – Culfa railway was an important part of the only rail link from the Soviet Union to Iran . Today, because of its course through Azerbaijan as well as through Armenia due to the political situation between the two states, only a part of it is operated in Azerbaijan.

Geographical location

The line connected to the Poti – Baku railway line in the north via both the Ələt station and at Şirvan (before 2008: “Əli Bayramlı”) . In the south it met at Culfa station on the Yerevan – Dscholfa and Tabriz – Dscholfa lines . It runs predominantly on Azerbaijani territory, but between km 313 and 352 over Armenian territory. It leads there along the north bank of the Macaw , which here also forms the border with Iran to the south.

history

The line was put into operation in 1524 mm wide gauge in 1936 between Ələt and Kapan . In 1941 the line to Culfa was opened in Mincevan. From then on, Ələt – Culfa was the main connection, the Mincevan – Kapan line a branch line. 1975 and 1978 the line was in two sections between Ələt and Imisli with 3000 volts DC electrified .

Due to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh that broke out when the Soviet Union was dissolved , traffic was gradually stopped: The terminus of the branch line to Kapan is about one kilometer across the border on Armenian territory. The traffic was stopped here in 1989, the railway infrastructure has been destroyed.

On the section of the line leading through Armenia, there was initially still a few trains of the Azerbaijani railway, Azərbaycan Dövlət Dəmir Yolları (ADDY), if the military situation allowed it, but under difficult conditions: The trains were partly unlit to make shelling more difficult. When the Armenian army conquered this southernmost part of Armenia, through which the route runs, in November 1993, operations ceased for the first time. After the Azerbaijani military recaptured the area, traffic was resumed by the Azerbaijani railway in March 1994, but abandoned west of Mincevan in 1995 due to the generally difficult conditions. With OSM it can be seen that in the meantime (2016) the last operated station is Horadiz.

literature

• Neil Robinson: World Rail Atlas . Vol. 8: The Middle East and Caucasus . 2006. ISBN 954-12-0128-8 .

Web links

• Website of Azərbaycan Dövlət Dəmir Yolu ( Azerbaijani )

Remarks

1. ↑ Today: 1520 mm, see: Russian broad gauge, section “History” .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Robinson, pp. 8f.
2. ↑ Robinson, pp. 9, 11 (note 9).
3. ↑ Robinson, p. 11 (note 8).