Treacherous Train Carriage Bridge, Georgia

Treachurous Train Carriage Bridge is an unusual piece of improvised infrastructure in Georgia. Spanning a small river on the outskirts of a town, the “bridge” is in fact an old Soviet railway carriage laid above the turbulent waters and adapted for pedestrian use. Stripped of its wheels, windows and fittings, the carriage now acts as a crude but functional crossing point.

I visited the site during my 2022 Georgia & Armenia Tour.

Soviet railways & the “Steel Silk Road”

One of the most significant transport routes in the South Caucasus traverses this region. This area, one of Georgia’s major industrial centres, once held large steel plants and extensive rail infrastructure. The region forms part of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, often described as the “Steel Silk Road”. This rail corridor connects the Caspian Sea to eastern Turkey, which links the route further to Europe. Freight trains still cross this region every day, carrying goods between Central Asia and the EU.

Before this modern line opened in 2017, the region relied on older Soviet railway linkages and machines. When the Soviet Union collapsed, many factories closed or operated at reduced capacity. Much of Georgia’s industrial transport network fell into disuse. Old rolling stock, sidings and rail branches were left scattered around the outskirts of the city.

Origins of this train carriage bridge

The exact origin of the train bridge is unclear. At some point, this decommissioned Soviet carriage was hauled to the riverbank and placed across the water as a simple footbridge. Perhaps this crossing was originally intended to be temporary, linking a settlement on the opposite bank with the highway to the nearby towns. It may just have been a case of using what was readily available!

Is this curious crossing still in use?

Although I cannot be certain, I strongly doubt that this bridge is in regular use! The inside is rusting and precarious. Large panels are missing, allowing an unsettling view of the turbulent river flow below. But, you never know!