Area 1520 Read online

  Ukraine’s history is of course complex and chaotic, the country undergoing sometimes violent tensions throughout the 19th century between Russian influences in the eastern half and the Austrian influences in the west. Eventually however, in 1922, Imperial Russia took control over the whole country. Whatever gauge the railways had been built to up to this point, there was now no question that all of Ukraine’s railways would henceforth be to 1524 mm Russian gauge.

  Except of course there was that period in World War II when Hitler re-gauged the line from Brest on the Polish border to Kiev, Ukraine’s capital (see Gauges and the World at War, in Part 1). Once the war had ended, however, and with the USSR exercising ever more control as the iron curtain descended, the line was quickly converted back to Russian gauge.

  Although the Ukraine is nominally an independent country since the break-up of the Soviet Union, recent incursions by Russia now indicate that the country is under far greater control of its former masters, and that this inevitably will affect the further development of its railways.

  Main-line railways:

  Ukraine’s railways today encompass 22 000 km of route distance, all to 1520 mm gauge, of which 10 000 km are electrified. But that does not mean that Ukraine has no direct connections with its Standard gauge European neighbours to the west.

  Trains between Ukraine and Hungary and Slovakia have their bogies changed at the respective borders. The process is time consuming, and adds over two hours to a train journey. The use of the SUW2000 variable gauge bogies (see above) is already being implemented, and eliminates the lost time at the borders with these 1435 mm countries.

  Narrow gauge:

  As with the Russian Federation, the Ukraine had an immense network of 750 mm gauge railways, also to transport peat to power stations, timber from foresting operations, and so on. Most of these have closed down since the 1960s, but a handful do remain operating. Some still have steam engines running as tourist attractions, while others are still operated as working lines using diesel traction.

  Metro and Trams:

  Also as with the Russian Federation, Ukraine is extraordinarily well-served by metro and tram systems – again too many to list. Four cities boast metro or light rail, all to 1520 mm gauge (that in Kharkov has one report showing it to be 1524 mm gauge, but I cannot confirm this elsewhere), while there are over 25 tram systems in operation. All but four (in L’viv, Molochne (short 1.8 km long line from town to sea), Vinnitsya and Zhytomyr) are to 1524 mm gauge; those in these remaining four cities are to 1000 mm gauge.

  Kiev’s underground metro system comprises three lines, totalling 64 km, with a fourth under construction. As with other formerly Russian metros, the system, built to 1520 mm gauge, is exemplified by stations whose architecture and grandeur would do justice to palaces in many countries. The 1524 mm gauge tram system in Kiev stretches over 140 km, and consists of 23 lines, some of which are designated as ‘fast trams’ and run on their own right-of-way for much of their distance, where they become more like a metro than a tramway.

  BELARUS

  This relatively small country, like its neighbours, was once part of the Soviet empire, and takes its railway cues from the former USSR, including the gauge of its tracks – 1520 mm.

  As can be seen from the map above, Belarus enjoys connections at over 20 locations with its neighbours. Most of these connections are with fellow 1520 mm gauge railways, but five are with 1435 mm gauge lines into Poland, involving either bogie exchange or dual gauge bogies (along with short sections of 1435 mm or dual gauge track, using four rails).

  The line from Brest through Minsk, Orsha and into Russia was of course the line that Hitler converted to Standard gauge in World War II (see Gauges and the World at War, Part 1). After WW2, and with Belarus subsumed into the Soviet empire as the iron curtain descended, the line reverted to 1520 mm gauge once hostilities ceased.

  Belarus’s initial railways were actually not designed to benefit Belarus at all – they were international lines that needed to pass through the country to get to their ultimate destination! The first line in 1862 – constructed of course to the Russian 1524 mm gauge – ran from St. Petersburg to Warsaw. (It must be remembered that the Polish/Belarus/Ukraine borders were in a constant state of flux during this era.) A connection to Moscow was completed in 1871.

  Today, there are over 5500 km of 1520 mm gauge lines in Belarus, of which just under 900 km are electrified. There is also about 25 km of 1435 mm gauge line at the various border points with Poland. There are no high speed lines in Belarus, and none is planned.

  Narrow gauge:

  Belarus once had its share of 750 mm gauge peat-carrying railways. Only one remains today.

  Metro and trams:

  Only the city of Minsk sports a metro – and like other metros in what was once the USSR, its stations are simply magnificent pieces of design and architecture. Its two lines are of course to 1520 mm gauge.

  Four 1524 mm gauge tramway systems are to be found in Belarus, in the cities of Mozyr, Minsk, Novopolotsk and Vitebsk. Parts of these tram systems have, like in other cities in this part of the world, been removed from city centres, where they have been replaced by underground metro.

  LITHUANIA, LATVIA, ESTONIA

  The beginnings of railways in these three connected Baltic countries is really a continuation of Belarus’s first railways – the Russian line from Warsaw to St. Petersburg, in effect making Lithuania and Latvia little more than transit states, and Estonia a mere branch line. The main line opened in 1860, although it wasn’t until the following year that it was fully complete through Lithuania and Latvia, including branches to their respective capitals.

  This line was of course initially built to the Russian 1524 mm gauge. Estonia, which was not on the direct line to St. Petersburg, didn’t receive its first railway until 1870, connecting Tallinn with St. Petersburg.

  But the use of 1524 mm gauge was not to last – these three countries underwent no fewer than four changes of gauge between the start of the 20th century and the end of World War II. There were many periods when these gauges were in operation simultaneously – Latvia in fact had no fewer than five gauges in concurrent operation at one time in the 1930s (1524, 1435, 1000, 750 and 600 mm gauges). Lithuania had a similar situation – in 1945, it too had all the same gauges (except for metre-gauge) in concurrent operation.

  The first gauge change started at the beginning of the First World War. The German army occupied Lithuania and Latvia in 1915, and had soon extended their reach into Estonia. As the German army needed to use the railways in all three countries to supply German troops, Germany changed the gauge to Standard gauge.

  Things might have stayed at 1435 mm Standard gauge if Germany had won WW1. But of course Germany lost, and in 1919 Russia, now controlling all three states as part of the newly-formed USSR, changed most of the lines back to 1524 mm gauge. But not all lines were changed. In Latvia, especially, there was a mix of the two gauges – even to the point that between Zemgale and Ritupe, on the Russian border, there were both 1524 mm and 1435 mm gauge lines running side by side!

  It was only a further period of just over twenty years before war broke out again in Europe, and again these Baltic states were part of strategic supply routes between Poland and Russia. In a repeat of what happened in 1915, the entire main-line rail systems in all three countries, totalling some 6000 km, were converted by Germany from 1524 to 1435 mm Standard gauge, starting in 1940. By 1942, Latvia alone had over 300 Standard gauge German steam locomotives roaming throughout its countryside.

  But just two years later, in 1944, Russia had already won back control of these three Baltic countries, and, this time, once and for all, changed most, but crucially not all, of the rails back to 1524 mm gauge. Most of the Standard gauge German steam locomotives imported by the German army were re-gauged to 1524 mm.

  But, as had happened just after World War I, some lines were not converted. For various strategic reasons, mostly due to maintaining existin
g connections with Poland, some lines were kept at Standard gauge, again especially in Latvia and Lithuania, which must have made railway operations in those countries a nightmare.

  For example, the Vilnius and Klaipėda transport districts in Latvia operated their lines to 1524 mm gauge, while the Šiauliai transport district worked with track gauges of both 1524 mm and 1435 mm. The operational logistics must have been quite a challenge!

  By 1953, however, the Standard gauge tracks had disappeared, and these three Baltic states were all operating at 1524 mm gauge, later adjusted to 1520 mm (some lesser-used 1524 mm gauge lines still exist). So is that the end of the ‘gauge wars’ in these three Baltic countries?

  Maybe not. I made reference at the beginning of this Part to Rail Baltica, and its plans to build a Standard gauge line from Poland to Tallinn and on into Finland. As I noted above, it seems possible – even likely – that this line could end up being built to Russian gauge – or maybe dual gauge, at least if Lithuania, now a member of the European Union, is able to stick to its guns and continue the dual gauge tracks eastwards. Dual gauging will of course involve the use of four rails (see Part 1), and this is a costly solution.

  Estonia is the only country of these three that seems to welcome the encroachment of Standard gauge-only (as opposed to dual gauge) railways. Only time will tell just how far 1435 mm gauge Rail Baltica rails will penetrate into Area 1520.

  Main-line railways:

  These three countries even taken together are massively dwarfed by their Russian neighbour to the east. Nonetheless, between them they can amass some 5000 km of main-line 1520 mm gauge route distance, of which little more than 500 km is electrified. Also to be seen are over 50 km of 1435 mm Standard gauge trackwork, mostly in Lithuania near the border points with Poland.

  The proposed Rail Baltica line (forever getting postponed and modified) will be a mix of new alignment and reconstruction (including either conversion to Standard gauge, or dual gauging) of existing lines.

  Narrow gauge:

  Like most of the other countries that were once tied to Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia used to have extensive networks of narrow gauge railways. Three gauges were in common use:

  1000 mm (metre-gauge) – built mostly under German influence during German occupation;

  750 mm gauge – built mostly under Russian tsarist influence, and part of the network of narrow gauge railways transporting peat and other raw materials;

  600 mm gauge – built mostly by the German Kaiser in World War I as feeder railways to the military.

  Some of these narrow gauge lines, where they were of strategic or economic importance, were eventually converted to 1520 mm gauge. The remainder are now mostly closed, with only a handful since 1999 remaining in operation as tourist or heritage lines.

  Metro and trams:

  Lithuania has no tram or metro systems. Latvia has three systems – in Daugavpils, Liepaya and Riga, and all street running trams. That in Liepaya is to 1000 mm gauge. The other two systems, like their counterparts in other formerly Soviet countries, are to 1524 mm gauge. A three line 1520 mm gauge metro is planned for Vilnius – but, even after 15 years, no actual construction has yet taken place.

  The 4-line tram system in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, is the odd one out here. It is to 1067 mm gauge, a gauge seen more in Africa, Australia and Japan than anywhere else, so quite why it has appeared in Estonia – and on a tram system at that, where 1000 mm is the more usual narrow gauge in this part of the world – is a mystery! Certainly I have not been able to track down any historical reason for it.

  KYRGYZSTAN, TAJIKISTAN

  Once we get into the CIS countries, especially those to the south of Russia itself, things start to get very complicated when it comes to railway gauges, so I will deal with these two countries first, as they are the easy ones. In fact, there is very little to tell.

  Kyrgyzstan has just 370 km of railways, all to 1520 mm gauge. Likewise, Tajikistan also has a minimal amount of railway – 480 km (as far as is known – information from that country is sparse), and again to 1520 mm gauge.

  There is also a 750 mm gauge network in the south-west of Tajikistan, but its status is currently unknown. There are no tram or metro systems in these two countries.

  TURKMENISTAN, UZBEKISTAN

  Both these countries, although once part of the Soviet empire, do not actually share a border with the Russian Federation. Nonetheless, they are very much part of Area 1520, and their railway systems, though relatively short, follow Russian practice.

  Turkmenistan:

  The railway system in Turkmenistan arrived in 1885, with further extensions built in 1888, and is concentrated near its main borders – Uzbekistan in the north and east, and Afghanistan in the south. The gauge is 1520 mm (and of course used to be 1524 mm when this country was under USSR rule), although it was originally planned to be to Standard gauge.

  A 1000 mm gauge line was built by Russian interests. The status of this line is not currently known.

  There is supposedly a level of railway service between Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, but the continual and shifting unrest in this area means that currently any service is either suspended or intermittent at best.

  .

  Turkmenistan today has around 3000 km of railways. All of it is to 1520 mm gauge, except for a 1435 mm Standard gauge link with Iran. This appears to be another chink in the Area 1520 fortress.

  Uzbekistan:

  Uzbekistan’s 4000 km of railways, of which around 600 km are electrified, comprise one main line with some branches. It runs in an east-west direction

  However, a new north-south line has been completed, to 1520 mm gauge, and linking Kazakhstan with Iran (with a break of gauge at Iran’s border), running through Uzbekistan more or less parallel with the Caspian Sea. It is said that this route is three times shorter than going via the Suez Canal through the Red Sea. A 250 km/h high speed line, using Talgo tilt trains, runs between Tashkent and Samarkand, again to 1520 mm gauge.

  Another line – believed to be to 1520 mm gauge also – runs between Termez, in Uzbekistan and Mazar-e Sharif, in Afghanistan. I say ‘believed to be’ – this line, completed in August 2011, was built to assist the US military in its logistics operations in connection with the war in Afghanistan.

  One would have thought that this line, built (or at least commissioned) by US interests, might have been to Standard gauge, especially as it connects with Afghanistan, a country that is proposing to switch to Standard gauge (see below). But, as far as I can ascertain, it is to Russian gauge. No doubt the fact that this line ultimately connects with other 1520 mm gauge lines, providing a through route to the year-round port of Riga in Latvia, was a major part of that decision.

  Metro and trams:

  Metro and tram systems are few and far between in this part of Area 1520, but Tashkent does boast one of each. The tram system is over 100 years old, and was opened in 1901, while the metro is much more recent, having opened in 1977.

  The tram system is currently to 1524 mm gauge, but the exclusive use of this gauge dates only from 1968. Before 1936, the system was solely to 1000 mm gauge. Between 1936 and 1968, Tashkent’s eight tram routes were transformed into a mixture of 1524 mm and 1000 mm gauges.

  The inclusion of the larger gauge enabled the transport of main-line freight wagons over the tram tracks to access industrial facilities. This is very similar to the situation regarding a handful of tram routes in England (see Parts 1 and 2), but whether there had to be a minor gauge adjustment, as happened in England, to accommodate the profile of rail vehicle wheels, is not known.

  From 1968, all trams were to 1524 mm gauge only. Where there are remaining sections of dual gauge track, the 1000 mm gauge is no longer used.

  The relatively recent metro is also to the same 1524 mm gauge as the trams, and not to 1520 mm gauge, like its counterparts in other cities within Area 1520.

  MONGOLIA

  Mongolia was a very isolated country
until relatively recently. Consequently it was completely devoid of railways until the second half of the twentieth century, except for a 43-km long industrial line carrying coal, built in 1938, to 750 mm gauge.

  The first main-line railway in Mongolia, built between 1949 and 1961, is the Trans-Mongolian Railway, and actually forms part of the alternative southern route of the 1520 mm gauge Russian Trans-Siberia Railway, stretching from Moscow to Beijing, and constituting approximately 2000 km of that railway’s total 9000 km length. This southern line traverses the inhospitable Gobi desert, after which the connection with the Chinese border occurs at Erenhot in Mongolia, and at Jining in China. After Beijing, this southern route then loops back north-eastwards, re-entering Russia and terminating at Vladivostok, just across the China-Russia border.

  As China uses Standard gauge, it becomes necessary to change the bogies of all freight cars and passenger coaches at each border crossing, which is done at covered border stations. During this process, which usually takes a number of hours, the coaches are raised on synchronised jacks, and the new bogies moved into position while the old ones are removed, usually by means of a cable system. Checking of passports and other border formalities are undertaken while all this is going on.

  For trains travelling through Russia, continuing through China, and thence back into Russia, this happens at least twice at these breaks-of-gauge and changing of bogies. The coaches used that permit an easy changing of their bogies are in general limited to a maximum speed of 120 km/h, which is not particularly fast. This must prolong even further what is already a very long journey!