Russia, The Baltics, War, Railway Gauge, Trying To Build a New Rail Line

Trains Magazine
1

Got it all right here.

[How a $27 Billion Baltic Railway Will Fortify NATO Against Russia]

(https://www.wsj.com/video/series/breaking-ground/why-a-35-inch-difference-in-rail-width-is-a-27-billion-problem-for-nato/B761EBF8-A0B8-479B-8022-1768F0253FAC?mod=hp_lista_pos1)

1 Like
2

Some of the parallels with CAHSR are eerie.

It will be interesting to see what arrangements are made for tracklaying and maintenance. Particularly if even fairly lightweight intermodal freight and “high-speed” passenger are to share the same line, as they seem to be implying.

I would say that attempting military logistic support and mass evacuation on the same single-track railway, under modern battlefield conditions, would be ‘interesting’ to watch. Ditto all those little tunnels and bridges I see going in.

The coverage plays right into the hands of the Russian propaganda machine by playing up the NATO military support uses of the north-south railway. It will be interesting to watch their response.

While not comparable ‘apples to apples’, there were a number of Pennsylvania/Southern gauge lines that were converted over to standard in a matter of days, with something like 5000 to 8000 separate MOW gangs in parallel. I do not think it has ever been impossible to accomplish something similar with panel track, especially since the GIS requirements have probably been known since the 1990s.

1 Like
3

I think that is a waste of money. Finland is doing the same thing. For the short distances traveled the road networks should be enough. Evacuation can be done by sea as it was done in the WWII era.

Finland’s project:

Finland to Adopt European Standard Railway Gauge for NATO Support | Sweden Herald

Geopolitically, it’s an open question if Russia will even be a credible hostile power after 2030 to the rest of Europe. It’s cheaper to wait and see for another 5 years. My bets are Russia is in decline. I also think China will change governmental systems at some point. CCP rule over China is not sustainable longer-term. Both countries like to project an image of power while at the same time hiding any kind of credible evaluation stats from the outside world. The hiding of credible stats to me tells me the image they are paying for via their social media campaigns and their respective internet shills is a false image. I think on our side we over react and over build and over spend via our military alliances and our military budgets.

1 Like