There Baltic rail It is the project that aims to connect i Baltic countries to central and western Europe: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania And Poland. At the moment, in fact, the tracks in use use wide Russian tracks 1520 mm, Unlike those used in the rest of Europe by 1435 mm. This new railway network should see the light in 2030 and, despite being a strategic objective, brings with it numerous engineering, geopolitical and environmental challenges.
What is the Baltic Rail and the characteristics of the project
The main line of Rail Baltic, the railway infrastructure that will connect the Baltic countries, will extend around 870 kmconnecting the following cities:
- Tallinn (Estonia)
- Pärnu (Estonia)
- Riga (Latvia) (with connection to the Riga International Airport)
- Panevėžys (Lithuania)
- Kaunas (Lithuania)
- Vilnius (Lithuania) (branch)
- Warsaw (Poland)
There are also some regional stops and, in the future, the realization of submarine tunnel between Helsinki And Tallinn which connects directly to the Baltic rail. You can consult an interactive map to view the route.
The railway line will be made with a European standard gauge of 1435 mm – that we will soon see in detail. The entire infrastructure will be a double trackensuring significantly greater ability thanks to simultaneous bidirectional traffic. There maximum speed allowed it will be of 249 km/h for passenger trains and of 120 km/h For freight trains. The power supply will be provided by a system of electrification to 2 × 25 kV acwhile traffic management will be entrusted to the modern signaling system ERTMS Level 2. The line will be able to accommodate freight trains with one maximum length Of 1050 meters and one load capacity Of 25 tons by axis.
The project began in 2010 with the planning phase. There is currently in the design and construction phase in different sections of the three Baltic countries and in Poland. The end of the construction sites is therefore scheduled for the 2030.
Baltic rail and the problem of rail gauge
One of the first challenges of the Baltic Rail project is certainly the one relating to the railway gauge. With this term we refer to the Distance between the internal edges of the mushrooms of the two rails of a railway track. This distance is measured at a specific height under the rolling surface of the wheels (generally 14 mm). In simpler terms, it is the Width of the track on which the train wheels rest and roll.
The gauge is a fundamental parameter because it determines the compatibility between the track and the rolling stock (trains, wagons, locomotives). A train designed for a specific gauge cannot circulate on a track with a different gauge. The choice of gauge in the past has often been influenced by historical, political, economic and geographical factors. The coexistence of different discontent can create interoperability problems, requesting transfers of goods and passengers or the use of variable gauge rolling stock.
In the context of Baltic Rail, the abandonment of the Russian gauge (1520 mm) in favor of that standard European (1435 mm) It is crucial to ensure interoperability with the railway network of the rest of Europe, facilitating trans-French-free connections and the integration of transport in the Baltic region.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xabrvsmvdn8
The engineering challenges of the Baltic rail: track, underpass and stations
From an engineering point of view, the Baltic Rail project involves many challenges. First of all, the designers were presented to draw a Optimized track. The design of the track has in fact taken into account environmental, social and economic factors to minimize the impact on the territory and local communities, avoiding protected areas as much as possible. To complete the project, the realization of 400 Between railway bridges, road bridges and viaducts to overcome natural obstacles and existing infrastructures. A remarkable example is the bridge over the Neris river in Lithuania. In some section there are also tunnels, to overcome densely urbanized reliefs or areas.
Underpass and overpass They will be necessary to guarantee the continuity of the road and pedestrian traffic safely. In addition to this, a series of Ecodotti, that specific steps for wildlife will be built (over 11 expected only in Latvia) to minimize the fragmentation of the habitats.
They will be made modern International passenger terminals (7 expected) and multimodal goods terminals (3 foreseen) integrated with other transport methods (road, plane, maritime). The stations will be designed with particular attention to accessibility and intermodality.
The critical issues of the Baltic Rail project
Although ambitious, and certainly interesting from the engineering point of view, the Baltic Rail project presents some critical issues, such as high costs. The estimated cost of the project is around Tens of billions of dollars And there are concrete concerns about potential spending increases during the construction phase. Transnational infrastructure projects of this reach are historically subject to overcoming the initial budgets, which could weigh on the national budgets of the countries involved and on the availability of future European funds.
Despite the general objective of more sustainable mobility, the construction phase and the very existence of the line can have environmental impacts and negative social at local level. These include the Destruction of habitatsthe alteration of the landscape, the noise and vibrations for nearby communities, and the potential difficulties related to the expropriations of land.
Furthermore, some analysts question the real demand for passenger transport and goods on the line, especially considering the existing competition of other transport methods (road, plane, maritime). If the volume of traffic does not reach forecasts, long -term economic sustainability of the infrastructure could be compromised.
