Which route did the old Tbilisi-Rostov train route take and is it closed only for political reasons?
This answer to the question about Tbilisi to Moscow mentions a train route that is currently not running between Tbilisi and Rostov.
Where did this route cross the Georgia border and what other cities did it pass through on the way?
Is it closed just because of the current political situation between Georgia and Russia or has it been out of service for a long time and now partly removed etc as are some of the tracks that once connected Yerevan in Armenia?
Best Answer
You can follow the railroad on OpenStreetMap; it leaves Rostov heading southwest, passes through Krasnodar, then climbs through the Causacus Mountains to reach the Black Sea at Tuapse.
It passes through Sochi to cross the Russian-Georgian (or -Abkhaz) border near the mouth of the Psou River, then continues close to the Black Sea coast, passing through Sukhumi. The closed section is between Ochamchira and Zugdidi; the only major town on the closed section is Gali (in Abkhazia). According to OpenStreetMap Gali still has its railway station, although it is of course disused.
After Zugdidi the railroad passes south of Kutaisi, through Gori and Mtskheta, and enters Tbilisi from the north.
Pictures about "Which route did the old Tbilisi-Rostov train route take and is it closed only for political reasons?"
First Class TRAIN from HELL! Yerevan to TBILISI, GEORGIA!
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Images: Nothing Ahead, Pixabay, Andrea Piacquadio, Gije Cho