Editing Dushanbe (section)

== Transportation ==

=== Air transport ===
{{Main|Dushanbe International Airport}}
Rashid Beck Ahriev and Peter Komarov piloted the first flight to the city from [[Bukhara]] on 3 September 1924 on a [[Junkers F 13|Junkers F-13]]; the service ran three times a week from small airfield on modern day [[Rudaki Avenue]].<ref name="Dushanbe Encyc-2004f">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/65068362|title=Dushanbe : ėnt︠s︡iklopedii︠a︡|date=2004|publisher=Glavnai︠a︡ nauchnai︠a︡ redakt︠s︡ii︠a︡ Tadzhikskoĭ nat︠s︡ionalʹnoĭ ėnt︠s︡iklopedii|others=Dinorshoev, Muso.|isbn=5-89870-071-4|location=Dushanbe|chapter=Transport|oclc=65068362|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028115236/http://dushanbe.tj/img/ENS.doc|archive-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> In 1927, the second [[Transport in the Soviet Union#Civil aviation|air route in the Soviet Union]] opened from [[Tashkent]] to [[Samarkand]] to [[Termez]] to Dushanbe on the Junkers F-13, two years before the introduction of automobiles and five before the railway. A small Stalinabad airport was created, and in 1930 a first-class airport was constructed in the city. The first scheduled flight from the city began in 1945 on the [[Lisunov Li-2|Li-2]].<ref name="Abdullaev-2018b" /> The state airline, Tojikiston - now known as [[Tajik Air]] - was created in 1949. In the 50s and 60s, many new aircraft were introduced to the Tajik Civil Air Fleet. The Tajik Civil Aviation Administration won first place in the USSR for efficiency in the 1980s.<ref name="Tajik Development Gateway на русском языке-2020">{{Cite web|title=Транспорт - Страница 3 из 3|url=https://www.tajik-gateway.org/wp/tag/transport/|access-date=2020-12-07|website=Tajik Development Gateway на русском языке|date=2 December 2020 |language=ru-RU}}</ref>

<gallery mode="nolines" heights="200" widths="200" class="center">
File:Dushanbe Airport.jpeg|View of Dushanbe International Airport
File:Dushanbe Airport (DYU).jpg|Terminal of Dushanbe International Airport
File:Dushanbe airport 161 (26129451585).jpg|[[Air Astana]] plane at Dushanbe International Airport
</gallery>The city is served by [[Dushanbe International Airport]] which, as of April 2015, had regularly scheduled flights to [[Ürümqi]], [[Kabul]], [[Delhi]], [[Dubai]], [[Istanbul]], [[Frankfurt]], and major cities in Russia and [[Central Asia]], amongst others. [[Tajik Air]] had its head office on the grounds of [[Dushanbe Airport]] in Dushanbe.<ref>"Directory: World Airlines." ''[[Flight International]]''. 30 March-5 April 2004. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2004/2004-09%20-%200321.html?search=%22Tajik%20Air%22 78]. "Titov Street 31/2, Dushanbe Airport, Dushanbe, 734006, Tajikistan."</ref> [[Somon Air]], which opened in 2008, has its head office in Dushanbe.<ref>"[http://www.somonair.com/en/page.php?pageid=65 Contacts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129052324/http://www.somonair.com/en/page.php?pageid=65 |date=29 January 2013 }}." [[Somon Air]]. Retrieved on 4 December 2010. "Contacts: 40, Titova Str. Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 734012." [http://www.somonair.com/page.php?pageid=6 Address in Tajik]      : "734012, Таджикистан, Душанбе, ул. Титова, 40"</ref> The government planned to devote .18% of Tajikistan's GDP to the development of aviation in a large part in Dushanbe.<ref name="Tajik Development Gateway на русском языке-2020" /> Japanese investors created a cargo terminal at the airport, costing $28 million.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Маркази боркашонии фурудгоҳи Душанбе бо сармояи Ҷопон сохта шуд|url=https://www.ozodi.org/a/29317657.html|access-date=2020-11-29|website=Радиои Озодӣ|date=25 June 2018 |language=tg}}</ref>

=== Road system ===
The first road in the country, from the early 19th century, was to [[Guzor]], traversed by camels, and made into a modern road by the Soviets. The first bus line was started in 1930 and taxi service began in 1937.<ref name="Dushanbe Encyc-2004f" /> Automobiles are the main form of transportation in the country and in Dushanbe. One major road goes through the mountains from [[Khujand]] to Dushanbe through the [[Anzob Tunnel]], constructed by an Iranian operator.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-05-08|title=Envoy: Iran to complete Tajikistan's independence tunnel by next year|url=https://theiranproject.com/blog/2014/05/08/envoy-iran-to-complete-tajikistans-independence-tunnel-by-next-year/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=The Iran Project}}</ref> A second major road goes east from Dushanbe to [[Khorugh|Khorog]] in the [[Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province]], then to [[Murghab, Tajikistan|Murghab]], and then splits into roads towards China and Kyrgyzstan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2.3 Tajikistan Road Network - Logistics Capacity Assessment - Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments|url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Tajikistan+Road+Network|access-date=2020-08-05|website=dlca.logcluster.org|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128122009/https://dlca.logcluster.org/display/public/DLCA/2.3+Tajikistan+Road+Network|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Many highway and tunnel construction projects are underway or have recently been completed ({{As of|2014|lc=y}}). Major projects include rehabilitation of the Dushanbe – Chanak (Uzbek border), Dushanbe – [[Kulma Pass|Kulma]] (Chinese border), [[Bokhtar]] – [[Nizhny Panj|Nizhny Pyanj]] (Afghan border) highways and construction of tunnels under the mountain passes of [[Anzob Tunnel|Anzob]], [[Shakhristan]], [[Shar-Shar]]<ref>The  {{convert|2.3|km|0|abbr=on}} [http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/2009/09/03/feature-06 Shar-Shar auto tunnel links Tajikistan to China, The 2.3km Shar-Shar car tunnel linking Tajikistan and China opened to traffic on Aug. 30, 2009 Siyavush Mekhtan]</ref> and [[Chormazak]].<ref>[http://news.tj/en/news/chormaghzak-tunnel-renamed-khatlon-tunnel-and-shar-shar-tunnel-renamed-ozodi-tunnel Chormaghzak Tunnel renamed Khatlon Tunnel and Shar-Shar Tunnel renamed Ozodi Tunnel, 12/02/2014 15:49, Payrav Chorshanbiyev] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531131121/http://news.tj/en/news/chormaghzak-tunnel-renamed-khatlon-tunnel-and-shar-shar-tunnel-renamed-ozodi-tunnel|date=31 May 2014}}</ref>

=== Rail transport ===
{{See also|Rail transport in Tajikistan}}
[[File:Duschanbe Bahnhof.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dushanbe Railway Station]]]]

The first rail line in Dushanbe, which was {{Convert|245|km|mi}} long, was built from 1926 to 1929 and opened on 10 September 1929 from [[Vahdat|Vhadat]] to Dushanbe to [[Termez]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rustamov|first=Aziz|date=2017-03-22|title=Наследие Российской империи в Таджикистане: железная дорога, вокзалы, водонапорные башни|trans-title=The legacy of the Russian Empire in Tajikistan: railway, railway stations, water towers|url=http://www.fergananews.com//articles/9332|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808002049/http://www.fergananews.com//articles/9332|archive-date=2020-08-08|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Фергана.Ру|publisher=[[Ferghana Information Agency|Ferghana International News Agency]]}}</ref><ref name="Abdullaev-2018c">{{Cite book|last=Abdullaev, Kamoludin|title=Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan|date=2018|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-1-5381-0252-7|page=364|chapter=Railways|oclc=1049912411}}</ref> that ultimately connected Dushanbe with [[Moscow]]. In 1933 and 1941, two other narrow-gauge railroad lines were laid from Dushanbe, to Gulpista and [[Kurgan-Tyube]]. In 2002, a new railroad administration took over that modernized the system.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Дорога через века|trans-title=Road through the Centuries|url=http://eav.ru/publ1.php?publid=2009-04a07|access-date=2020-08-05|website=eav.ru|publisher=Евразия Вести}}</ref>

Today, Tajikistan's principal railways are in the southern region and connect Dushanbe with the industrial areas of the [[Gissar]] and [[Vakhsh River|Vakhsh]] valleys and with [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Kazakhstan]] and Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2009-09-01|title=Migrant Express Part 1: Good-bye Dushanbe|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBSardpSH0E| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211108/BBSardpSH0E| archive-date=2021-11-08 | url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-03|website=Youtube|publisher=[[Radio Free Europe]]/[[Radio Liberty]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Tajikistan's railways are owned and operated by Tajik Railway. In the early 2000s, a new railway line from Dushanbe to [[Gharm]] to [[Jirgatol|Jirghatol]] was constructed that would connect the country to Russia, Kazakhstan, and [[Kyrgyzstan]] while not going through Uzbekistan due to contemporary [[Tajikistan–Uzbekistan relations|geopolitical tensions]]. A proposed line from Dushanbe to [[Herat]] and [[Mashhad|Mashad]] is also being promoted by the government.<ref name="Abdullaev-2018c" /> On 18 June 2018, the first railway between Dushanbe and [[Astana]], the capital of Kazakhstan, completed its trip through Uzbekistan's [[Karakalpakstan|Karakalpakstan region]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Dushanbe-Astana Train Makes First Journey|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-tajikistan-train-dushanbe-astana/28563464.html|access-date=2020-08-05|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=19 June 2017 }}</ref> Tajikistan's northern railway system remains isolated from its other railway lines, including those of Dushanbe. There is also a service from Dushanbe to [[Khujand]] and the northern Uzbek town of [[Pakhtaabad]].<ref name="Abdullaev-2018c" />

=== Trolleybus system ===
{{Main|Trolleybuses in Dushanbe}}
[[File:Троллейбус (шаҳри Душанбе).jpg|thumb|Trolleybuses in Dushanbe]]
The [[Trolleybuses in Dushanbe|Dushanbe trolleybus system]] began on 6 April 1955 when a trolleybus administration was organized in the city. On 1 May 1955, the first [[Trolza]] trolleybus began operation on Lenin Avenue, the main avenue of Dushanbe. Routes continued to be added in 1957 and 1958 and in 1967, 9 routes were opened and the length of the network reached {{Convert|49|km|mi}}. The [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|collapse of the Soviet Union]] led to a crisis in the system, as fuel increased in price and looting became a consistent problem, with one incident occurring at the central bus station leading to the temporary suspension of lines. During the period, the number of trolleybuses declined from a high of 250 during the late 1980s to only 45–50. 100 new trolleybuses were ordered in 2004 which were delivered a couple years after and aided in the resumption of service.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-04-16|title=КАвЗ: в будущее - с оптимизмом|url=http://www.omnibus.ru/arhiv/1-2_2008/arhivarius/|access-date=2020-08-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416110626/http://www.omnibus.ru/arhiv/1-2_2008/arhivarius/|archive-date=16 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kluczewska|first=Karolina|title=Dushanbe buses and what it means to live in a capital city|url=https://www.academia.edu/42097027|website=www.academia.edu}}</ref>

In 2020, the [[European Bank for Reconstruction & Development|European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]] gave $8 million to repair the system. As of 2020, Dushanbe had 7 trolleybus routes with 11 million passengers a years.<ref name="The Guardian-2017" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-27|title=EBRD finances Dushanbe trolleybus infrastructure modernisation|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/ebrd-finances-dushanbe-trolleybus-infrastructure-modernisation/55572.article|access-date=2020-08-04|website=Railway Gazette International}}</ref> While trolleybuses were the main mode of transport in the Soviet era, today they account for only 2% of motorized trips.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Toward safer, cleaner, and more convenient public transport in Central Asian cities|url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/toward-safer-cleaner-and-more-convenient-public-transport-central-asian-cities|access-date=2020-08-04|website=blogs.worldbank.org|date=31 July 2019 }}</ref>

Dushanbe trolleybuses are based upon the [[ZiU-9]] trolleybus design.

* [[Trolza|TrolZa]]-5264.01 "Capital" (nos 1000–1003);
* [[ZIU-682|ZiU-682]]H-016 (012) (nos 1004–1039, 2000–2027);
* [[ZIU-682|ZiU-682]]H-016 (018) (nos 1042, 1053, 1054, 1058, 1059, 1072–1083, 2038, 2046, 2051–2079);
* [[ZIU-682|ZiU-682]]V (nos 1177, 2095, 2099).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dushanbe, trolleybus — Roster|url=https://transphoto.org/list.php?t=2&cid=384|access-date=2020-08-04|website=transphoto.org}}</ref>

=== Metro system ===
The construction of an above-ground [[rapid transit|metro]] system is due to begin in 2025.<ref name="The Guardian-2017">{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/oct/19/demolishing-dushanbe-former-stalinabad-erasing-soviet-past|title=Demolishing Dushanbe: how the former city of Stalinabad is erasing its Soviet past|website=The Guardian|date=19 October 2017|access-date=7 November 2019}}</ref> The first aerial metro line is expected to be completed in 2040 and connect the Southern Gate and Gulliston (circus area).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/tajikistan/power/20190201/subway-system-expected-to-be-built-in-tajik-capital-by-2040|title=Subway system expected to be built in Tajik capital by 2040|website=Asia plus}}</ref>