Klaipėda – Kyiv Rail Freight Plan
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These two paragraphs give more details.
Lithuania’s national train operator LTG Group and Ukrainian Railways have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an intermodal freight service from the Baltic port of Klaipėda to Kyiv via Poland.
Test runs are planned for this year, ahead of regular services.
I have some thoughts.
The Route
This Google Map shows the route.
Note.
- Russia is in the North-East corner of the map, with Moscow clearly marked.
- Lithuania is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Klaipėda is on the Lithuanian coast.
- South-West of Lithuania is the Kaliningrad enclave, which is part of Russia.
- South of the Kaliningrad enclave is Poland, where Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow are clearly marked.
- Belarus is in the middle of the map, with Minsk clearly marked.
- Ukraine is South of Russia and Belarus and East of Poland.
- Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Lyiv in Ukraine are clearly marked.
It looks to me, that a possible route would be along the Eastern Polish Border avoiding both Belarus and the Kaliningrad enclave.
The Gauges
This Google Map shows the gauges between Klaipėda and Kyiv.
Note.
- Black tracks are Standard gauge of 1435 mm.
- Red tracks are Russian gauge of 1520 mm.
- Klaipėda is on the Lithuanian coast in the North-West corner of the map.
- Kviv is in the South-East corner of the map.
It looks to me, that although Lithuania and Ukraine are Russian gauge, the routes through Poland could be standard gauge.
So there may be a need for some rolling stock, that can run on both Russian and Polish gauges.
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled Ukrainian Railways Produces Cross-Border Grain Wagon.
These two paragraphs describe the wagons.
National railway Ukrzaliznytsia has used mostly domestic components to produce a grain hopper wagon which can operate on both the former USSR’s 1 520 mm broad gauge and the 1 435 mm standard gauge of neighbouring EU countries.
The Type 19-8005-U wagon has a capacity of 70 tonnes and 104 m3, with five loading and six unloading hatches. It is designed for operation at up to 120 km/h.
The wagon certainly looks professional in the pictures.
I don’t think that dual-gauge wagons for containers will be a serious engineering problem for the Ukrainians.
Rail Baltica
The Wikipedia entry for Rail Baltica has this introduction.
Rail Baltica is an under-construction rail infrastructure project that is intended to integrate the Baltic states in the European rail network. Its purpose is to provide passenger and freight service between participating countries and improve rail connections between Central and Northern Europe, specifically the area southeast of the Baltic Sea.
Note.
- As it is an EU-funded project, it is being built as standard gauge.
- It is being built with operating speeds of 145 mph for passengers and 75 mph for freight trains.
- There will be comprehensive connections to airports, freight terminals and major conurbations.
This page on the Rail Baltica web site has an interactive map of Rail Baltica.
It is thought that Putin is not pleased about Rail Baltica, as his extensive fleet of rail transporters for tanks and other military vehicles, are now built for the wrong gauge to invade the Baltic States.
Putin And Dual-Gauge Tracks And Wagons
As they could be used to bring war-related imports to Kyiv, I suspect Vlad the Genocider is against them.
How Will Ukraine Protect The Trains?
Consider.
- Being West of Kyiv will help.
- I suspect the UK have a few ideas for camouflage.
- Will a few brave Ukrainians ride the trains, with a sophisticated train protection missile?
- Drones probably won’t be as effective as ground attack aircraft at attacking trains.
I do suspect though that the Ukrainians have a plan.
Conclusion
This is going to be an interesting development.
What Happened In Moscow Today?
I woke up this morning and deliberately stayed at home to watch Navalny’s funeral, as logic told me something serious would happen.
The day started how I would have expected, with hundreds of police lined up ready to arrest those who showed the wrong attitude or laid flowers.
Putin’s parents lost both their first two sons because of illness and WW2. A friend of mine also lost two older brothers and his mother was so overprotective, that it seriously affected his mental health. Later in life, he retrained as a psychotherapist to excise his personal demons.
Putin also has the problem, that his father was a member of an NKVD destruction battalion (think Katyn!), so I suspect he had a good line in bedtime stories for his son.
I wonder if something unexpected happened today.
- Did the sight of Navalny’s mother and her grief, awaken Putin’s memories of his own mother and he backed off?
- Or did the police on the ground, take a words will never hurt us attitude to the crowd? It might have helped, that a proportion of the police probably held some of the same views as Navalny.
I have some further thoughts.
The Grosvenor Square Protests Against the Vietnam War
I can find two references to these in this Wikipedia entry, which is entitled List Of Protests Against The Vietnam War.
- July 3, 1966. A crowd of over 4,000 demonstrate outside of the U.S. Embassy in London. Scuffles break out between the protesters and police, and at least 31 people are arrested.
- March 17, 1968. In London, a violent protest not supported by the Old Left leads to over 300 arrests.
A policeman friend of mine, who was on duty, told me that trouble is defused, if the police have common ground with the demonstrators.
The Number Arrested Today In Moscow
This was given as six, which is consistent with the number arrested at non-violent protests in London against the war in Gaza.
My Experience Of Moscow Police
In September 2001, I went to Moscow to see Ipswich beat Torpedo 2-1. See More…
After the match, the police were looking at the Ipswich supporters, as if they wanted a fight. So I broke ranks and offered both hands to the guy, who looked to be in charge. He shook my hands, gave me a hug and a smile and everybody walked to the coaches.
Nobody wanted a fight, so one didn’t happen.
My Experience Of Minsk Police
In October 2008, I went to Minsk to see England beat Belarus 3-1. See More…
A lot of the England fans were worried after being badly treated by Moscow police, the year before.
But there was no need to worry, as the Belarus Police were dressed to be friends and there was no trouble.
Conclusion
Whatever happened today could be significant!
Malaysian Fabrication Company Enters Offshore Wind Market With IJmuiden Ver Alpha Contract
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad (MHB), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE), has secured a subcontract for its first offshore substation high-voltage direct current (HVDC) platform required for TenneT’s 2 GW offshore wind project in the Netherlands
These two paragraphs outline the project.
The Malaysian contractor confirmed the award from Petrofac on 29 November and said the OSS HVDC platform consists of a topside and jacket for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha project.
The subcontract scope consists of construction engineering, fabrication, mechanical completion, load out and sea fastening, and architectual works on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis.
A third paragraph, indicates, that this contract could be the first of a few.
In addition, the parties will also collaborate towards the possibility of fabrication works for two additional offshore substation units of similar size.
This story illustrates how wind farm developers are looking for more places to build their infrastructure.
In An Elegant Solution, I talked about an idea called a D-Floater. Five are shown being transported in this picture.
The idea is from a Swedish company; Bassoe Technology.
This would enable transport costs from faraway places to be reduced.
Nearer to Europe, the Black Sea ports of the Ukraine could be an ideal place to build infrastructure, as the country used to have the required skills, ports and steel-making capabilities.
But first Putin must be put back in his box!
An Aborted Trip To Cardiff
I got up early, this morning with the aim of spending a day in Cardiff looking at the progress on the Valley Lines and have a drink with a friend.
But the trip is off, as there are no trains to Heathrow and Reading on the Elizabeth Line, due to a shortage of staff.
There are also some gaps in the Great Western Railway service to Cardiff, for the same reason.
Is this to show sympathy with Putin?
Is Putin Coeliac?
Under Construction
A Trip To Kyiv Road
This article on the BBC is entitled Ukraine War: Road Outside Russian Embassy Renamed ‘Kyiv Road’.
This is the sub-heading.
Under a picture of a guy holding the new Kyiv Road sign, there are these three paragraphs.
The new address will cover a stretch of Bayswater Road that is only a short distance from the Russian embassy.
It comes after protest group Led by Donkeys turned the same street blue and yellow on Thursday.
The Kyiv Road sign will be installed on Friday afternoon by Westminster City Council.
I just had to go and take a few pictures before the Russians, some vandals or some political sympathisers cover it in paint.
Note.
- The road had been painted blue and yellow by pro-Ukraine protestors a couple of days ago.
- There were two groups of protestors; Ukrainians and Russians opposed to Putin.
- The Ukrainian protestors have Ukrainian flags.
- The anti-Putin protestors have white-blue-white flags, which are the Russian flag, with the red replaced by white.
It was all very light-hearted and the main job of the Police was to gently urge protestors out of the way of traffic.
University Of Manchester And National Grid Team Up To Develop SF6-Free Retrofill Solution For Electricity Network
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
This is the introductory paragraph.
National Grid and the University of Manchester are to collaborate on a four-year project to develop a full-scale demonstrator at the Deeside Centre for Innovation, designed to test at scale how the UK can retrofill sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) across its network of high-voltage equipment.
Note.
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is a gas commonly used in the power industry to provide electrical insulation and arc interruption.
- Eighty percent of sulphur hexafluoride is used in the electricity industry.
- According to Wikipedia, sulphur hexafluoride has several important applications, including a medical one in eye surgery.
- But sulphur hexafluoride is a is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is 25,200 times greater than CO2.
It certainly looks to be a good idea to see if the sulphur hexafluoride can be eliminated from electrical equipment and other uses, that may release the gas into the atmosphere.
These paragraphs from the press release outline the project.
The £1.9m project will see experts at Manchester help determine how National Grid can develop a retrofill solution to replace SF6 with an environmentally friendlier alternative without having to replace or otherwise modify the existing equipment.
This solution – to be demonstrated at National Grid’s test facility the Deeside Centre for Innovation – will mean National Grid can avoid the environmental impact and cost of replacing equipment otherwise fit for many more years’ service.
It is not the first time National Grid and the University of Manchester have teamed up on a project exploring SF6 alternatives – a previous initiative which concluded in 2020 is now up for an IET Engineering & Technology magazine innovation award for ‘Best Innovation in Net Zero and Sustainability’.
The press release also says this about the Deeside Centre for Innovation.
National Grid’s Deeside Centre for Innovation in North Wales is the first of its kind in Europe, where electricity network assets can be tested under real life conditions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It certainly seems that National Grid and Manchester University are on top of the problem and have the resources to achieve success in the project.
The Russian Attack On Ukraine
You may wonder what this has got to do with improving transformers and switchgear in Manchester and Wales.
Recently, the Russians have been targeting the Ukrainian electricity network. Are Ukrainian transformers and switchgear insulated with sulphur hexafluoride and if they are how of this potent global warming gas has been released into the atmosphere?
An Expedition To Muswell Hill To Get Some Lovely Liver
After my plea in Need To Regularly Eat A Large Plate Of Calves’ Liver, I got a recommendation to try The Cilicia at Muswell Hill.
It was delicious and just what my body wanted. The liver had been cooked in sage butter with tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoes.
I shall return!
The only problem is that Dalston and Muswell Hill is not the easiest journey to make by public transport.
My route was as follows.
- I took by taking a 141 bus from close to my house to Manor House station.
- I then got a Piccadilly Line train to Turnpike Lane station.
- From there it was a 144 bus to Muswell Hill Broadway.
It took about 45 minutes.
But it might be quicker to take a 102 bus from Bounds Green station.
Or go to the Angel Islington and get a 43 bus from there to Muswell Hill Broadway.
But my route could all have been so different.
This map shows the Muswell Hill branch which was closed by British Rail and has since been mainly built over.
The Muswell Hill branch would have been part of the comprehensive Northern Heights Plan.
- The Northern Line would have been extended from Edgware to Bushey Heath.
- The Mill Hill East branch would have been extended to Edgware.
- If you look at the maps in Wikipedia, the Northern Line would be very different through London.
- The Muswell Hill branch would have given better access to the magnificent Alexandra Palace.
But Austerity after World War II meant the extension never happened.
I can see a case could be made for some parts of the Northern Heights plan, but it is too late now, as viaducts have been demolished and routes have been built over.
My feeling is that if there was a need for the Northern Heights plan in the 1930s, then as London has expanded, that need will need to be fulfilled in the future.
So when Austerity hits as it did after World War II and as it is happening now due to Covid-19 and Vlad’s war in Ukraine, we should make sure we don’t compromise our plans for the future.
I believe that with a small amount of safeguarding in the 1960s, the Northern Line would now have a useful branch to Alexandra Palace and Muswell Hill.
Should I Get Depressed About A World Ruled By Putin, Trump And Xi?
When I read the reports of the mid-term elections in the United States, Putin’s War in Ukraine and Chairman Xi’s coronation as Emperor for Life, I despair.
As I suspect do many others!
The Anonymous Widower 