Public transport from Tbilisi to Chiatura in winter?

I have reason to get to Chiatura from Tbilisi tomorrow but as usual for Georgia it's not easy to get the details on how best to do it.

I was warned by my friend in Chiatura that snowy winter conditions could cause some problems.

I can see on Google Maps that there is a train station in Chiatura but can't see how or if it's connected to Tbilisi. Perhaps it's for freight for the Chiatura manganese mines?

What trains or marshrutkas operate between Tbilisi and Chiatura? How much time does each take? How much does each cost? What time are departures? Will winter conditions make one or the other more trouble?

Best Answer

I could find no reference about route Tbilisi-Chiatura. There are references to possible Train service from Kutaisi or Zastapone, but no links exists. You might have to visit the train station to get more accurate information. There are references to buses going from Kutaisi to Sachkhere but again nothing online so it will have to be found out on the ground.

Update as of January 9, 2014

I have just been able to find a reference on another site(Russian) to a local train from Kutaisi to Sachkhere. There is no detailed description of the stations it services but I would have to assume that Chiatura would be one of them. This train runs 2 times a day so if you are in Zestaphoni when it passes through you might be able to catch it.