Abkhazian railway

Passenger Traffic

In 2016, 307,748 people traveled between Abkhazia and Russia by rail.^[9] By 2025 this increased to 486,653 people travelling between Abkhazia and Russia.^[10]

Freight Traffic

In 2025, 16,100 freight cars with a total cargo weight of 1.1 million tons arrived in Abkhazia transported by Abkhazian Railways. This Cargo is mainly composed of coal (83%), with other materials such as fuel, lubricants and building materials making up smaller portions.^[11] To cope with this increased freight load on the network in 2023, 3 locomotives were purchased. An electric locomotive VL-10 and two diesel locomotives 2TE116 at the expense of its own budget and presidential funds of Aslan Bzhania.^[12]

Operation

The railway is administered by the Abkhazskaya Zheleznaya Doroga (Russian: Абхазская Железная Дорога, Abkhaz: Аҧсны Аиҳаамҩа) company. As of 2016, there is a daily long-distance train between Moscow and Sukhumi, and some suburban trains between Adler and Gagra.

Currently, there is only one train connection from the Russian Federation to Abkhazia. The train from Moscow to Sukhumi operates daily at the high touristic season in summer and twice a week at the low season. The additional trains from Belgorod and St. Petersburg operate during the summer months which is the main tourist season.^[16]

Link to Georgia

There have been proposals to re-establish rail traffic between Russia and the Trans-Caucasian countries of Armenia and Georgia through Abkhazia. Abkhazia and Russia signed a protocol on repairing the Abkhazian stretch in October 1995,^[17] but Georgia has long tied the restoration of rail traffic with the return of refugees to Abkhazia. Negotiations to restore the railway link between Georgia and Abkhazia were held in 2004-2005, but ultimately stalled.^[18]

In late 2012 and early 2013, the new Georgian government under Prime Minister Ivanishvili repeatedly proposed to revamp the Abkhazian Railway and getting it hooked on the Georgian Railways, specifically to appease Armenia, and enabling a commercial link to Russia.^[19] The proposal sparked domestic and international discussion in Armenia (the country with the most commercial interest in such a connection),^[20][21] in Azerbaijan (which has fears it enables Russia with a more efficient military transport to its base in Gyumri, Armenia) and in Russia (Russian Railways owning the Armenian-based South Caucasus Railways).^[22]

The Abkhaz authorities first reacted dismissively to cooperate with such initiative, but later changed their tone.^[23] Azerbaijan shortly threatened with consequences for the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway connection, then due completion at the end of 2013, and suggested raising the gas price charged to Georgia. In Georgia the idea of the railway being reopened on the occupied territories still faces significant opposition.^[24][25]