Railway system of the Soviet Union

Soviet Railways

Steam locomotives, such as the P36, were the quintessential symbol of the Soviet Railways.
Reporting mark SZhD, SZD
Locale Soviet Union
Dates of operation 1922–1991
Predecessor RIZhD, JGR
Successor RŽD, UZ, BCh, ADDY, SR, HYU, LG, CFM, EVR, LZD, KTZ, OTY, TZD, KTJ
Track gauge 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in)
Electrification 3 kV DC, 25 kV AC, 50 Hz
Length 147,400 km (91,600 mi)
Headquarters Moscow

The Soviet Railways (Russian: Cоветские железные дороги (CЖД)) 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 USSR. It operated until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.[1] The Soviet Railways were the largest unified railway in the world and the backbone of the USSR's economy. SZD greatly upgraded and expanded the Russian Imperial Railways to meet the demands of the Union. The railway was directly under the control of the Ministry of Railways in the Soviet Union.

After the dissolution of the USSR, the Soviet Railways were split into 14 different national railways belonging to the respective countries. However, after the end of the SZD, rail transport in the former USSR states greatly declined and have not recovered to their former efficiency to this day.[2] The Russian Railways are widely considered as the primary successor of the SZhD. Other successors inherit the Soviet infrastructure in Central Asia.

Successor Railways

Railway Country Year Started Length (in Km)
Azerbaijan Railways (ADY)
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan
1991
2,932 km
Latvian Railways (LZD)
Latvia Latvia
1992
2,269 km
Lithuanian Railways (LG)
Lithuania Lithuania
1991
1,766 km
Georgian Railways (SR)
Georgia (country) Georgia
1992
1,513 km
Moldovian Railways (CFM)
Moldova Moldova
1992
1,156 km
Armenian Railways (HYU)
Armenia Armenia
1992
845 km
Eesti Raudtee (EVR)
Estonia Estonia
1992
816 km
Tajik Railways (TZD)
Tajikistan Tajikistan
1992
616 km
Kyrgyz Railways (KTJ)
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan
1992
417 km

See also

References

  1. ↑ Russian Railways - History of Russian Railways (1914-1991)
  2. ↑ Russian Railways - History of Russian Railways (1991-2003)
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