Connecting two existing railway networks
The Turkestan–Siberian Railway is usually known as Turksib. Its main new section extended more than 1,400 kilometres from Semipalatinsk in the north to Lugovaya in the south, passing through the Alma-Ata area. It connected to routes towards Siberia in the north and existing Central Asian lines in the south. New construction and the connected older lines together formed the transport corridor.
The immediate aim was to reorganize freight flows. The Soviet Union Review in 1930 linked southbound Siberian grain and timber with expanded cotton growing in Central Asia. Imported grain would meet consumption needs, releasing more local land for cotton to supply Soviet textiles. The railway served both transport construction and regional specialization in production.
Construction from north and south
Work began from both ends in 1927, with Vladimir Shatov leading construction and Lev Perelman as deputy and chief engineer. Northern and southern construction administrations organized sites, supplies and workers. Timber, cement and steel components arrived at the starting points; as track advanced, it also made subsequent materials easier to deliver.
Route selection balanced gradients, distance and earthquake risk. In the south, the Chokpar option offered gentler gradients and reduced traction requirements. River crossings could progress through temporary ferries and bridges to permanent structures. The permanent Irtysh bridge entered use in April 1929, an important facility completed before the whole line was connected.
References: [1]
Machines, people and animal labour
Excavators, trucks and lifting equipment were used, with reinforced-concrete bridge and culvert components cast at staging sites and transported for installation. Earthworks and transport nevertheless relied heavily on manual labour, horses and camels. Windblown sand near Lake Balkhash damaged embankments, which workers reinforced with reed bundles and other materials. Water supply had to follow the moving worksites.
These conditions bound supplies and labour organization to engineering. Contemporary reporting in 1930 listed medical posts, mobile bathing facilities, communal dining and technical courses. They supported workers’ lives, helped maintain construction crews and trained people to operate and service equipment.
Recruitment, training and conflict
The workforce combined skilled workers brought from other areas with local Kazakh labourers. Abdildinova and Iskakova’s archival study describes barriers of technical qualification, language and recruitment connections faced by local workers, who initially tended to receive unskilled work. Training and practical experience enabled some to obtain skilled posts. After completion, operating agencies continued courses for train operations, locomotive work and maintenance.
Jobseekers arrived through Frunze, Alma-Ata and Semipalatinsk in numbers that did not match available jobs or onward transport. Housing, food and wages caused discontent, and attacks by European workers on Kazakh workers occurred. The gap between recruitment, job allocation and living conditions ran through the construction process.
Provisional traffic, joining the tracks and handover
Construction and use of completed sections proceeded together in 1929. Track carried passengers and freight as well as building materials, while temporary bypasses and incomplete facilities restricted speeds. Railway histories record about 400,000 passenger journeys and 1.6 million tonnes of freight over provisional sections in 1928–1929. These figures describe cumulative transport during sectional provisional operation.
The northern and southern tracks joined in April 1930, and celebrations of the connection became a major Soviet publicity event. On 31 December, builders and operators completed the handover for permanent operation at the Alma-Ata depot. The document listed new main track, branches and older lines taken over separately. Sustained operation followed in 1931.
From construction crews to transport operations
Once in operation, the railway carried Siberian grain, timber and Kuzbass coal southwards. Train movements depended on stations, water points, locomotive depots and communications. Telephones and telegraphs handled operational communication, while points remained manually operated. Depots at Ayaguz and Alma-Ata I serviced and repaired steam locomotives.
Completion left a shortage of specialist staff, so courses and technical schools continued to train operating personnel. New stations and repair facilities brought permanent employment along the line, and settlements offering continuing services developed around the corridor. Later urban connections and industrial branches extended the network from this main line.
References: [1]