Trans-Caspian railway

Map of the Trans-Caspian railway
A map of the Central Asian Railway in 1922. The railway ran from Krasnovodsk to Kokand and Tashkend via Askabad, Bokhara and Samarkand.
The station of Baharly on the Trans-Caspian Railway, c. 1890

The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, Russian: Среднеазиатская железная дорога) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by the Russian Empire during its expansion into Central Asia in the 19th century. The railway was started in 1879, following the Russian victory over Khokand. Originally it served a military purpose of facilitating the Imperial Russian Army in actions against the local resistance to their rule. However, when Lord Curzon visited the railway, he remarked that he considered its significance went beyond local military control and threatened British interests in Asia.[1]

  1. ^ Military power, conflict, and trade by Michael P. Gerace, Routledge, 2004 p182