What Is Putin’s Attitude To Rail Baltica?
Rail Baltica is a railway that the EU is building between Warsaw in Poland and Helsinki in Finland.
This is the first paragraph of the railway’s Wikipedia entry, which gives an outline of the route.
Rail Baltica is an under-construction rail infrastructure project that is intended to integrate the Baltic states in the European rail network. The project envisages a continuous rail link for passenger and freight services with stations from Tallinn (Estonia) to Warsaw (Poland), via Pärnu (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Kaunas (Lithuania), with two branches extending from the main line towards Riga International Airport and Vilnius (Lithuania). Its total length in the Baltic states is 870 kilometres (540 mi), with 213 kilometres (132 mi) in Estonia, 265 kilometres (165 mi) in Latvia, and 392 kilometres (244 mi) in Lithuania.
The second paragraph explains the history of the railway gauge in the area
Rail Baltica will build the first large-scale mainline standard gauge railway in the region. Rail networks in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania mainly use Russian gauge (1,520 mm). These countries’ first railways were built in the second half of the 19th century as part of the Russian Empire rail network. While some railways were built or converted to narrow or standard gauge in the Interwar period between World War I and World War II in the independent or German-occupied Baltic states, these were later converted back to Russian gauge under Soviet occupation rule after 1945.
The Russians do seem to be protective of their gauge.
The third paragraph gives the current status of the project.
As of 2025, the completion of the phase 1 single-track railway from Tallinn through Latvia (Riga) to the Lithuania-Poland border is scheduled for 2030, with completion of the double track railway to follow dependent on funding. Rail Baltica is one of the priority projects of the European Union (EU). It is part of the North Sea–Baltic Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) and it is also intended as a catalyst for building the economic corridor in Northeastern Europe. It has also been proposed to extend Rail Baltica to include an undersea railway tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki. By 2024, the estimated cost of the project had increased from €5.8 billion in 2017 to €23.8 billion (at 2023 prices).
These are some characteristics of the railway.
Terminals: Warsaw and Helsinki.
Countries Served: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland
Intermediate Stations: 8.
Electrification: 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line.
Operating Speed: Passenger – 145 mph.
Freight – 75 mph.
Signalling: ERTMS – L2
Putin’s Attitude To Rail Baltica
Although, I can’t talk to Putin about this, I’m sure Google AI can give us a good idea.
I asked Google AI,”What Is Putin’s Attitude To Rail Baltica?” and received this answer.
Vladimir Putin’s attitude toward Rail Baltica is one of deep hostility, viewing the 500-mile high-speed railway as a strategic, military, and infrastructural threat to Russian influence in the region.
The project, which aims to integrate the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) with the European rail network, is seen by Moscow as an effort to sever ties with the former Soviet bloc and solidify NATO’s presence on Russia’s border.
Key Aspects of Putin’s Opposition:
Military Threat Assessment: The Kremlin views Rail Baltica not just as a civilian project, but as a crucial logistical tool for NATO to swiftly transport troops and equipment to the Baltic region, strengthening the “eastern flank” that Russia challenges.
Destabilizing Russian Sphere of Influence: Moscow perceives the integration of the Baltic States into the European infrastructure system as a direct challenge to its influence and an “imperial project” aiming to detach them further from the post-Soviet space, which Putin seeks to keep within Russia’s sphere of influence.
“Putin-Proofing” the Baltics: The project is explicitly recognized by Baltic officials as a way to “Putin-proof” their countries against Russian aggression by reinforcing their security and economic autonomy, a move the Kremlin strongly opposes.
Infrastructure Isolation: The project enables the Baltic States to shift away from the Russian gauge track (1520mm) to the European standard (1435mm), decreasing their dependency on Russian logistical infrastructure.
While the Russian state has not issued daily commentary on the railway, its overarching aggressive posture toward the Baltics, including threats to Lithuania over transit to the exclave of Kaliningrad and the use of hybrid operations in the region, indicates a fundamental opposition to projects that deepen Western integration, such as Rail Baltica.
The Three Baltic Countries Sign The Largest Railway Electrification Agreement In History
The title of this post, is the same as that as this news item on the LTG Group web site.
This is the sub-heading.
Today in Vilnius, the institutions of the three Baltic countries responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica project signed a historic agreement on railway electrification. The contract, valued at €1.77 billion (excluding VAT), has been awarded to COBELEC Rail Baltica – a consortium formed by the Spanish companies Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios S.A. and Elecnor Servicios y Proyectos S.A.U.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
The electrification of the Rail Baltica European railway is considered the largest cross-border railway electrification initiative in Europe, implemented as a single, joint project.
“Rail Baltica is more than just infrastructure – it is an economic and security link to the West. This contract is particularly important for our integration into the European railway network, enabling smooth passenger and freight transport while strengthening the resilience of the Baltic region. It is our strategic pathway to the future,” said Eugenijus Sabutis, Acting Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania.
One of the largest contracts in the history of the Baltic States was signed by the institutions responsible for implementing the project: LTG Infra, the infrastructure company of the LTG Group; Eiropas Dzelzceļa Līnijas in Latvia; and Rail Baltic Estonia in Estonia. Representatives from the ministries of transport and communications of all three countries also gathered in Vilnius for the occasion.
Note.
- The electrification will be to the European standard of 25 KVAC overhead.
- There will be a total of 2,400 km. of electrification.
- High-speed passenger and freight trains will operate on the full length of the route.
- It is planned that the electricity used will be generated from renewable energy sources.
- I feel everybody will be pleased except Putin.
The Russian dictator and war-monger won’t like it, as the railway will not be built to Russian standards.
Lithuania To Germany Intermodal Service To Launch In April
duiThe title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Lithuanian national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo is to launch a service carrying containers and semi-trailers from the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal to Duisburg in Germany on April 4.
Trains with a capacity of up to 36 semi-trailers and containers will run thrice-weekly on the 1 500 km route. This will be LTG Cargo’s first westward service operating in three countries, with operations in Poland and Germany handled by its LTG Cargo Polska subsidiary.tail
These are more information and my thoughts.
The Route
The route appears to follow a route from Kaunas to Warsaw via
- Marijampolė
- Šeštokai
- Mockava
- Suwalki
- Buchwalowo
- Bialystok
Note.
- The links on the names are to the town’s Wikipedia entry.
- The border between Lithuania and Poland is between Mockava ans Suwalki.
- There are freight yards and change of gauge facilities at Šeštokai and Mockava.
Some of these towns are probably worth a visit, especially if like me, you have Jewish ancestors from the area.
My father’s great-great-grandfather possibly came from Konigsberg in East Prussia and arrived in the UK around 1800.
The Russian And Standard Gauge Solution
Consider.
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have Russian gauge railways which is 1520 mm.
- Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the UK have standard gauge railways, which is 1435 mm.
The solution has been to build between Kaunus and Šeštokai, to build Russian gauge and standard gauge tracks side by side.
Kaunas Intermodal Terminal
This Google Map may show the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal.
Note the rail yards in the middle of the map, have both Russian and standard gauge tracks.
Rail Baltica
The route taken is the standard gauge route of Rail Baltica, which is an EU project.
- It will run between Helsinki and Warsaw.
- Intermediate stops will be Pärnu, Riga, Riga International Airport, Panevėžys, Kaunas and Bialystok
- Vilnius will be served by a branch from Kaunus.
- The line will be double track.
- The line will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
- Passenger trains will operate at up to 249 kph.
- Freight trains will operate at up to 120 kph.
- A tunnel will be built later between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Completion of the route between Warsaw and Tallinn is planned for 2026.
Rail Baltica I
Rail Baltica I is the first section of the route to be opened and is described like this in Wikipedia.
The name Rail Baltica is also sometimes used to mean the first phase of European gauge railway construction from the Poland-Lithuania border to Kaunas in Lithuania.
It opened in October 2016.
The new freight service will use this route to connect to Bialystok and Warsaw.
Conclusion
I have been on the roads in this area of Poland and rail freight services are needed to take the pressure off the roads.
The Anonymous Widower 