The three Baltic states and Finland are the only EU states that have a Russian gauge railway network, so trains from other EU countries cannot run without border transfers. The Estonian authorities have estimated that the complete transfer of the country’s railway network from the Russian to the European track will cost 8.7 billion euros. It would be an expensive and too long project.

The three Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – have been members of the EU since 2004, but integration has not taken place in terms of trains. These three countries have few railway lines, the track is Russian, and in terms of public transport, buses have developed significantly in the last two decades, and the Baltic region is home to the most luxurious European buses.

But by 2030, after a project worth 6 billion euros, almost 900 kilometers of railway should be ready to connect the three countries with the rest of the EU.

The big difference, which complicates the railway connection of the three countries with the EU, is due to the fact that the lines built by the Russians have a wide track (1.52 m), which differs from the rest of the EU countries. This greatly complicates the cross-border communication between Lithuania and Poland.

At the level of the Union, discussions on the construction of standard-gauge railway networks also in the Baltic countries, which is also a matter of national security, have intensified in recent months, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU would like countries with Russian gauge railways to switch to the European gauge, but this will take time and money.

Finland recently said that such a network transformation is unreasonable and that countries should not be pressured to do it, but it should be 100% their decision.

The head of Estonian Railways said that the transformation of the network will cost 8.7 billion euros, of which 7.5 billion euros will be investments in the industry and 1.2 billion euros in rolling stock. The amount is huge, especially since the railway network is tiny, more than ten times smaller than the Romanian one.

The main railway line in Estonia runs between Tallinn and Tartu, 190 km, which the fastest trains cover in less than two hours.

We cannot talk about a complete conversion also because one of the largest European railway projects, Rail Baltica, is already underway, which involves the construction of 870 km of railway from the border with Poland to Estonia, in Tallinn. When everything is ready, 870 km must be covered in six hours.

The maximum speed will be 240 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight trains, with 392 km of lines running in Lithuania, 265 km in Latvia and 213 km in Estonia. The line starts from Tallinn via Pärna – Riga – Panevezys – Kaunas – Polish-Lithuanian border, and the Riga – Vilnius connection will also be added. Everything should be ready by 2030.

Sources: International Railway Journal, Railway Gazette International, RailFreight.com

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