The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Turkistan-Siberia Railroad
abbreviated as Turk-Sib, important railroad in Central Asia, providing the shortest link between Siberia and Central Asia. Completed in 1931, it runs from the Trans-Siberian RR at Novosibirsk SW to the Trans-Caspian RR, which it joins N of Tashkent. Its principal stations are Barnaul in Russia and Semey, Almaty, Taraz, and Shymkent in Kazakhstan. A spur of the railroad reaches Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. The railroad is of vital economic importance.
