Taking The Soviet Elektrichka Train to Borjomi from Tbilisi: Part One

I took a train to Tbilisi from Yerevan. A sleeper train that ran from Yerevan to Batumi; an experience I had never had before, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I researched how to get to Borjomi, a small former Soviet resort town tucked away in the mountains of Georgia on the way to Batumi, and a little closer to Stalin's birth town Gori. There were few ways to get there, one of which is the bus. But that's boring. Stuck on the roads and cramped together with a few other people. Not so natural views and mostly just the average motorway. Another method is to pay someone to drive you there directly, a taxi sort of service, but it's expensive and again the same problem: it simply isn't fun. To pay for convenience isn't to experience the true fun of travel. The final solution? The Soviet Elektrichka train which took about 4 hours and 30 minutes to get there from Tbilisi. This is an old train, one that runs incredibly slowly, and either holds old wooden or plastic seating. Very different to the larger and more comfortable sleeper trains which are meant for longer durations of travel. These are the more cheaper options for shorter commutes. The trains that would more be used for budget travel in the USSR or transporting workers between towns and harsher terrain where vehicles would take too long.

My destination was Borjomi from Tbilisi. From the old Soviet railway station in the city which is located a bit more in the centre. It's old, rustic, with unfortunately a lot of decay surrounding it. It's a station that is home to many old Russian train carriages which are piled up and left to rust. In the station are a few shops, nothing all that interesting. It's the same station that I arrived here at, though it felt completely new this time, not under such heavy rain that masked the view of all surroundings. Above was an old cafeteria. We grabbed some lunch and sat around for about 40 minutes as we waited for the train to arrive. Moments before we verified that we could actually take the train. To your surprise: this old train doesn't have online tickets. You either turn up and pay in coins at a machine which prints your ticket on the train itself, or you can pay at one of the kiosks at the station. There was so little information about this online that I almost didn't expect the train to really exist. The kiosk side of things wasn't even mentioned anywhere from previous travellers. So, we sat. We waited. And the train finally turned up. I felt a slight "The Darjeeling Limited" feeling upon its arrival. The long awaited train, all old and destined for upcoming experiences. The cost of the ticket was 2 Lari. So less than 1 dollar.

At the point of departure, it was already a bit later in the evening in Tbilisi. The sunlight already starting to disappear around 6PM. So I knew I wouldn't get the same beautiful views of the surroundings that I did on the way here, but I would catch a glimpse of the outer parts of Tbilisi. The more natural areas as the city finally died off and smaller towns would come into view. Old areas of industry from the Soviet Union. Factories and grand buildings. Random Soviet apartment buildings built in the middle of nowhere to house former workers. Now left with little else to do in the area but catch the same train back to Tbilisi for work. It was clear that many used the train as a manner of daily transport, getting to and from places of work and carrying their general products: fruit and vegetables, bits of scrap metal, various items for this and that. Some carried large bags of it all, others just had a backpack and more of a nomadic appearance to them: one man on his own portable chair sat by the door with this dog. He looked out into the scenery as the train would travel throughout green environments. The dog would roam its eyes around the various passengers. I myself would constantly get its attention. I couldn't help it.

This post will be the first in this little adventure of mine. I'm not sure how many I'll make. But within this four hours are plenty of little stories and moments that I have to share. The fun of a train ride. The adventure into the unknown. A glimpse into the past in which things were done totally different to now. Capturing a look at the lifestyles those outside of Tbilisi live. I loved every moment of this train ride to Borjomi, and hopefully I've managed to pull in your attention with a few of these photographs which detail the earlier parts of the travel. We're barely boarding the train at this point. Only really just sitting down and finding out the chaos as the seating is an every-man-for-himself sort of scenario. Nothing booked in advance. Much like grabbing the bus today. So here's to the upcoming sharing of many more of the stories.