One of the most annoying thing living in Baltics is that to get to the neighbouring country aprrox. 300km, you have to either fly or take a bus for 4 - 6 hours. So, weekend trips are less likely to happen. When this is done, I feel there will be a strengthen bond between the Baltic people due to visiting each others countries a bit more.
@@ligametis Sure but the whole getting to the airport, security, waiting, boarding, landing, finding public transport takes time and a lot of effort. Flying is great, airports suck.
Hello from Pärnu, I just moved here a bit more than year ago. Anticipated that I would move in 2023 (most noticable constructions should start on RB) but COVID economy speed up my travels.
If it's in the same country then it's kinda ok, but going country to country is a burden, from Vilnius to Tallinn via rail it took me 25 hours. Its when Vilnius still had a connection to Daugavpils (sadly now it stops at a border about 30 km away, now it's impossible to go country to country besides the Valka connection between Latvia and Estonia).
I did my Erasmus Semester in Riga and didn’t want to take a plane. It was such a pain to get there from Germany. I will definitely return when Rail Baltica is ready
I tried to do it 2014 and forgot it. Rail connection to Helsinki won’t happen but the ferry services will be sufficient. I can’t wait when this service is ready.
@@PurpleDuneEfa Don't think in Russian speed standards, standards will change when the need arises. And the passenger trains are far from main reason to build the railway.
Fun fact - IF the railway tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki will be completed, the tunnel would be longest undersea railway tunnel in the world. The lenght between two cities is 80 kilometers but the tunnel would be at least 90 to 100 kilometers long.
It will hardly be constructed in the nearest future. The cost is very huge while the potential economic profit is uncertain as both Helsinki and Tallinn are pretty small cities. I doubt they'll be able to generate enough freight and passenger streams to repay the tunnel construction expenses.
@@Konservator69 I'm not sure about existing railway connections in both countries, but that tunnel could theoretically connect the two networks together. It isn't simply connecting two cities together, but the entire rail and indeed entire transit networks of both countries together. You are also ignoring potential transit oriented development that will make these two cities grow economically. It is important to analyze the benefit to the entire network when it comes to transit planning, not just a single segment's popularity
sure they can't -.- Russian Empire and USSR built for them Railroads using lots of money, whicch small Latvia just doesn't have and also there not enough cargo to transport there so it will never give profit, welcome to capitalism
@@tsugumorihoney2288 I'm sure if us Europeans (the EU) decide it's part of strengthening our union against the Muscovites we will get it done. Also your choice of words are interesting "built them railroads"... Do you think it was a gift? Not a part of the Russian's exploitation and control of the Baltics?
@@Konstantin2004 it were part of infrastructure to make this parts of Russian Empire and USSR connected with other parts. So EU invest in it to control of the Baltics and thats it
@@tsugumorihoney2288 The EU is a union of democratic states that the Baltic states joined by free will. The Soviet Union was the inheritors of the Russian empire. The Baltics didn't want to join the USSR. The communists sent a lot of the them to Siberia to welcome them into the USSR (and a lot were shot directly). And since they don't want it to happen again (or to go through what Ukraine is suffering right now), it makes sense that we do all we can to strengthen our union, don't you think?
I'm from Latvia, and this Railway will certainly change the way i travel. Just now i got from a 4,5 hour drive from Tallinn to Rīga, but with Rail Baltica it will be much more easier. Also the airport will finally have a solid connection to the centre. And of course the old, ugly soviet station will finally be rebuilt and that whole neighborhood will look a lot better. Can't wait.
@@Reutviv loool I think he/she means that once they travel from Tallinn to Riga by train, they don't have a car to travel around in Riga. But that is an extra plus I think. Less pollution and more public transport
With the dependence of Russia's military logistics on rail transport, it seems like converting the network, particularly in the eastern regions of the Baltic countries, so standard gauge could have great defensive importance. It would also tremendously improve economic integration with the rest of the EU by providing through-freight access. The Baltic countries were still quite economically reliant on trade with Russia until earlier this year, and the broad gauge rail network certainly contributes to that dependence.
Yes but you can't really get rid of existing railway. It would be astronomically expensive to switch whole rail network gauge. Also, there is treaty in place which guarantee Kaliningrad transit for Russia which is done almost exclusively by rail. Big part of LTG (Lithuanian rail opperator) income is transit fees. Not only to Kaliningrad but also to Klaipėda port. Until recently it was used a lot by landlocked Belarus. Passenger rail is not as popular in Lithuania sadly. So yes, gauge is integrated economically more with the east countries. And idk what has to happen for that to change. Maybe in the future.
@@fidenemini111 All the steel production that was going to the military was suddenly free and available for massive projects like this. Now is not so easy
@@tomaspangonis2440 Oh no, railway beavers gnawed the rails of the Soviet standard, we have already begun to repair, but we have no money for this, but for now we will temporarily put the rails of the European standard here, we have money for this, as soon as the opportunity arises, we will return the rails of the old standard, definitely in years uhmm never. Railway beavers can rip off the rails after the port but on the road to Kralovec. Then you can find the missing rails and arrest them for investigation. A lot of beavers do not need a few hundred meters. PS Approximately this is how the tram disappeared in my city thanks to the pro-Russian pariah "Party of Regions" and stinking gazelles appeared. Why not use their own weapons against the Russians? In the same way, the Russians "repaired" the northern stream before they blew it up.
The last months have shown that politically/geopolitically/socially eastern/central Europe must stick together. Close cultures, common interests and challenges, simple neighbourly partnership will be good for everyone. Greetings from Poland to its neighbors.
This project will be a boom to the connected countries! Thank you Railways Explained for this great elaboration of the Rail Baltica Project. I really like the way you summarize all the important aspects of projects and rail systems around the world and never be boring at the same time. I love the content!
Rail Baltica is one of the most interesting railways projects in Europe, in my opinion, and you've made a great video explaining it! Could it be that the link to your Patreon in the video description is redirecting to your merch-store instead?
Which you didn’t vote for, where there’s a lack of democracy within the EU Parlament and where a portion of its memberstates shouldn’t be members in the first place and are mostly benefiting but not giving a lot back in return and where the EU heavily interferes with national sovereignty and national law.
Great video. It's very interesting to learn more about railway projects in Eastern Europe as they are often overlooked. People tend to focus on Western Europe and East Asia when it comes to rail. Hopefully Rail Baltica becomes a success. Keep up the good work👍
Great video showing the rail baltica project it will connect the baltics (and also finland if the tunnel gets approved aswell) to the main European railway network making it easier to travel between the countries. Cannot wait to see the project when it's finished
Its a great railway and it looks like it's going to be a significant strategic importance for all of EU.....but what about the Polish part? Not a single word mentioned on it, except that it will end in Warsaw...
I wonder if they use the existing connection from the Lithuanian border to Warsaw. It's standard gauge after all. Last time I was there the trains only ran a couple times a week though.
Sadly there isn't much point from Polands side to expand the network into north east, so until the project is done on Baltic and maybe Finland side it won't get any new right of way
@@Ignash Not exactly - if the speed is 240 km/h, I'd be shocked if existing rail would be able to handle that. Though for cargo we should be already more or less ready.
Already to reach Lithuania by Poland is a huge mess due to Kaliningrad and Suwalki corridor. The absence of highways connecting well the 3 countries is also a mess to be considered
Just crossed it few days ago, to connect both countries with highways it takes time. So hopefully within next 5 years it will be done all the form Warsaw towards Kaunas.
This project is of very high importance. Thanks to this new line, you not only move goods and people but also military equipment to defend Baltic states. Also, for Poland, it is a very crucial project because makes close cooperation with Baltic States even more real and easier.
Might become a possibility actually. But we have to be realistic, Armenia will probably apply after Georgia joins in 2030 (+-2). But yes, Armenia is welcome, greetings from Germany
Thanks for the great overview of this project. Having family in Estonia, I am really looking forward to Rail Baltica opening! Connections to Western Europe will becme so much easier.
As a Polish I can't wait! It will improve interconnectivity of all involved countries so much! This route will explode with passengers both directions when it comes to fruition.
In the 1990s I travelled by train between Riga and Tallinn a handfull of times in those old Soviet-made trains. I think they did no more than 50-60Kmph. The sleeper compartments were just fine, as was the food in the dining car, spouting a giant samovar, and all. I have also ridden the local 30 Kmph wooden-benched commuter train between Riga and Slōka in Jūrmala on numerous occasions. Same locomotives, I think, but different carriages. The summer landscape was fantastic and you were so far north that it started to lighten at 3 a.m. when you were raised for pasport checks on the Latvian/Estonian border (this was prior to the EU memberships). Last year I went to Latvia by ferry and car and did not have time to go to Tallin, but I plan to go to Latvia again next year, and I hope there will be time to hop on the train and go visit Tallinn again; nothing beats sitting on the old citywall on a bright summerday, taking in the view of the fjord going to Sankt Peterburg. Old Riga is great with the river running thorugh the park, and all. But medievel Tallin is in a league of its own; a pearl among pearls.
@@incremental_failure This september I was back in Latvia and rode a local train a couple of times. The trains are the same but the insides have been modernised with softer seats. However, I liked the wooden benches better for some reason or other. Maybe I'm just getting too old to appreciate change.
Have you checked about HS2, the UKs future Railway running between london to Birmingham and York and Scotland, with a speed of 200 Miles per hour, and very futuristic stations via old oak wood, The future stations are called: London Euston, Old Oak Wood, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham Interchange, Birmingham Curzon Street, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, York, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, (stations are not in order)
Please do a video about Balkans or Serbia since the country is reconstructing it's main corridor which is also a European corridor connecting Europe with Turkey and ports on the Greek coast.
@@jh5kl Because Serbian goverment said they will not be ditching any projects despite the situation and is currently building the railway in the northen part of the country. Hungary is a little late but they should be starting their part of the tracks soon. Meanwhile the EU already agreed to help build the southern part and construcion is supposed to start in october. Now for the rest of the countries i dont know but thats why i said to do a video only on Serbia or on plans for the whole corridor through the region.
One issue throughout the project and highlighted recently is rolling stock. This will be the first project in Europe where there will be no national or tri-national company operating the line. It will be solely run by private companies (most likely new and current) like Flixtrain, Ouigo, Deutsche Bahn and so on. Thus, there is no security on whether or not there will be actual trains running on the lines when the project is fully completed sometime in 2030 or partially completed post-2026. Otherwise, great video and thanks for paying attention to this project. Not a lot of TH-camrs have covered this project.
The thing is our train companies in Baltics are semi private, all their stocks are owned by the government, but the leadership and employees consist of the private people. They will definitely going to have trains running when this line will open. With this project the government will be able to compete greatly with huge Lithuanian logistics sector that dominate the field right now.
Europe needs more local rail networks , not high speed intercity lines . Local rail has been almost abandonmded in the EU , and its necessary to have a car outside cities .
The picture at 8:44, when telling about existing commercial ferries between Helsinki and Tallinn, looks more like Norway. There are no mountains like that anywhere in Finland or Estonia. Least of all near the capital cities.
This is a great project and will help connect these three countries better to the other parts of Europe. Hopefully, they will have better engineers and constructors than we have had on the BER (airport Berlin-Brandenburg) and the Stuttgart 21 railway project.
This is an amazing example how the European Union finances and supports projects that benefit the member states as well as the economy, climate and individual! I much prefer traveling by train instead by plane. Even if it might take longer, I hate busy crowded airports, security, standing in lines, small and cramped spaces, bad food and no ability to walk around or use the internet! I hope the whole project will go on smoothly and I would love to visit the baltic states and one day even drive up to Helsinki! Thank you for this great and informative video!
@@bohomazdesign725 Exactly right. And EU trade policy has actively got in the way and prevented normal trade between the Baltic countries and their nearest neighbours. They were formerly the most prosperous regions of the Soviet Union, but now, cities like Narva and Daugavpils have become ghost towns. The populations of all three countries has shrunk. There is just one train a day between Tallinn and St Petersburg, taking 6 hours. This obstruction to normal trade is one of the reasons for the present tensions.
That's is a very real good idea linking Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the rest of Europe with the standard gauge. They could even use ports in the northern Adriatic sea ports like Koper or Trieste which are used by many central European countries.
@@Quinnstown Daugavpils was the main industrial city in Latva. Ghost town. The same goes for the industrial towns in Estonia. Cities in the east of Poland like Bialystock struggle to attract businesses, to judge from their Web site. RVR Riga lost most of its work. Nonsense?
@@physiocrat7143 Lithuania has lost of manufacturing, check them out. Estonia is one of the fastest growing IT hubs. "Industry" in the 21st century is different from plants and factories of the old.
Fun fact: In early 20th century when Latvia was independent, the rail network was huge, each day there were trains coming from and to, between routes such as Riga -Paris and Riga-Berlin, then the rail network was demolished and changed.
This EU rail connectivity is an insane luxury for all people living within the EU region.. This will open doors for more tourism and logistical trade among EU nations.
@@Zoza15 Travelling across the entire EU will almost always mean having to change trains - and even this rail project would mean that, for example, taking the train from Berlin to Riga would require changing trains in Warsaw. Still a lot better than taking several buses taking three times longer - but to me, it's not a luxury.
Great project. €4.6 billion send incredible value for 800km of high speed electrified rail, especially compared to HS2, which is approaching €100 billion for 530km.
@@JeremyGreysmark I agree. I think HS2 is necessary for the UK and even though the cost is high, I think it will pay it back many times over in benefit to the UK economy. I can understand building a new line out of London is expensive, but not sure why the parts outside London are costing so much. But to be honest, my is surprise is not how much it costs in the UK, but how it's so cheap in the Baltics.
@@lostcarpark here in Estonia the existing rail corridor exiting the city has plenty of room for additional tracks and the countryside is generally empty of people anyway. It has been designed to avoid areas with people. But then again, that means it can't be also used for local commuter traffic. It'll become more expensive anyway. I imagine that in UK major cities are already quite built up, which would mean a lot of tunneling, hence a price tag of 100 billion.
@@kalle911 Makes sense. You don't want to be clogging up the high speed line with commuter traffic. However, spurs off it for regional trains would be a great way to get maximum use of the new line. Is Estonia planning to keep 1520mm as its national rail gauge, or transition to standard gauge? Or would adding a third rail for dual gauge running be viable?
@@lostcarpark One could have sidings/stations for slower traffic to move onto. And proper scheduling, also with options for passengers to switch trains in larger stations. I've recently seen some opinion columns on converting to standard, but that's really expensive. And considering the amount of competence and funding as far as railroads are concerned, I'll be surprised if we even manage electrification. They can't even build god damn railroad crossings. There can not be a third rail for dual 1435/1524mm gauge, it must be four rails.
this will surely also boost tourism in the baltic states when the project is finished because one baltic state as such surely isn't "worth the trip" to the mind of many people yet if you could fly to one of the three states and make ~ day trips to another one, the baltics as a whole will get much more interesting/convenient to travel to
Yeah, taking a 2 hour trip to the next major city is very convenient. Air travel is annoying, jumping on a train is by far the most convenient form of transport.
12:16 - It's nice that you added in the time to check in and board at the airport but half of the time spent traveling by plane in short journeys is getting to and from the airport which are generally outside of city centers and deboarding which ends up being about 1:30 onto each journey. This means that in most cases traveling within the Baltics by train either be a lot faster (downtown to downtown) or competitive to air travel even going from Tallinn to Vilnius or Vilnius to Warsaw. Going to Berlin will still be much faster on a plane though.
You would also have to get to the Rail Baltica station first if you want to take the train. But the stations are probably placed closer to the city center. But it will depend on where you are, which one will be faster.
This project is will not only boost the economy of the Baltic region, but it will also improve its security. EU had its faults but with that project they got it right.
The project is big and much desired, the Baltic states deserved it. Complementary highway network is under advanced construction as well. The bright future is just around the corner! 🙂
If Europe needs one thing to improve upon it would be a more unified streamlined rail network. Imagine hopping on a Train in Estonia and getting out in Spain without much of a hassle. Currently cheap airlines and buses dominate train travel.
That imaginary trip will never happen, since it is not economically feasible, due to Spain and Estonia being on different geographic ends of Europe. One train from Estonia to Germany + another train from Germany to Spain is more within reason. I would believe that decent high speed rail will replace air and bus travel on routes under 1000 km. On longer routes air travel will still win.
How would that happen? It's far too slow for such a long trip and you'd have to switch trains. Upwards of 6 hours of train travel time you'd want a compartment or would rather use an airplane.
@@brick647 It doesn't take 6 hours by train from Estonia to Spain. It takes over 20 hours just from Poland. So from Estonia it's closer to 26 hours. Flight is around 4 hours, these airports are efficient so maybe a bit over 5 hours total. And the plane ticket will be much cheaper.
List of the longest of high speed railway tunnel building project status 1. Very Bad / worst (0 km - 10 km) 2. Bad (11 - 30 km) 3. Poor (31 - 40 km) 4. Average (41 - 60 km) 5. Good (61 - 140 km) 6. Very good (141 - 350 km) 7. Excellent (+ 350 km)
Cool video! As a suggestion, it would be pretty cool if you did a video on the Lyon-Turin connection that is currently under construction. It will be the longest tunnel in the world after it's completed.
It's an interesting project, but the main benefits appear to be to move (a) freight, (b) passengers between the Baltic countries, and (c) to a lesser extent, passengers between the Baltic countries and Poland and beyond. A lot depends on the railway infrastructure in Poland and especially Germany. The Germans still have to build a third track to connect a Dutch freight rail route, which was opened in 2007, to their own network. It's now slated to open in 2026, almost 20 years later.
Faster, easier and sustainable connections between humans are always great, but this project is especially important seeing the russian warmongery and threatening towards eastern europe. Im optimistic for this project, because other than the germans, people in this part of europe can get things done.
Rail Baltica is a corridor of standard gauge (1435mm) tracks designed to connect the Baltic states with the main EU rail network but it is NOT a replacement of the wider "Russian gauge" (1520mm) tracks in these countries. Finland also uses this gauge and it is not replacing its track network. So the 1520mm tracks will still be used throughout the region. Also, Rail Baltica was planned and started long before Russia invaded Ukraine and that event has no relevance or significance to the RB project. In fact, if Russia and Europe ever get around to making peace (one can hope) this project will benefit both economies and help facilitate trade and the movement of goods and people.
*There is no such thing as a "semi high speed train" ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET EXCEPT DESPERATE INFERIORITY COMPLEX "incredible superpower india". It's nothing but a MADE UP term made up by YOU incredible superpower indians to make yourselves feel better about yourselves OVER THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T OPERATE REAL ACTUAL HIGH SPEED TRAINS.* *In Japan and China and in Europe and in United States and Canada there are trains that operate at 160km/h to 200km/h and they are called SIMPLY "express trains" and NOT the incredible superpower india MADE UP TERM "semi high speed train" BECAUSE REAL ACTUAL HIGH SPEED TRAINS OPERATE AT 250KM/H AND NO ONE USES "semi high speed".*
1:21 The Russian Gauge is an important factor in the project, so it would be nice to have got it right. At 2:30 he gets the Standard Gauge measurement right.
"[..] prior to World War II the Baltic States were connected to Europe with a standard 1435 mm gauge railway." Do you have a source to back this? Estonian railways were originally built with 1524 mm gauge, though the Germans converted them to 1435 during the WWII. Wikipedia is a bit vague on the Latvian and Lithuanian railways, but the little data there is hints that they were also built with 1524 mm gauge originally.
AFAIK all the Baltic states gauges were originally 1524 mm except Memelland (Klaipeda area) in Lithuania which was a part of Germany until 01/1923 and after 03/1939
@@bahnspotterEU prior to WW1 Lithuania as a part of Russian Empire except Memelland used 1524mm gauge. AFAIK in 1915-1918 during the german occupation it were constructed a lot of narrow gauge railroads for "deforestation" of Litauen.
@@mikeromadin8744 That doesn‘t change the fact that Lithuania used standard gauge between the wars. It was previously converted from Russian gauge, and later converted back to Russian gauge.
It's not difficult to change the gauge on the wooden sleepers, just move rails inward and hammer new holes. A bit more difficult in modern times with the concrete sleepers tho 😁
1:58 Portugal and Spain (Iberian Peninsula) are on the same colour as the other European countries, despite them using as their main gauge the Iberian Gauge. Spain, with its High-Speed Rail, has built many train lines with the Standard Gauge; however Portugal - to my knowledge - is dominated by the Iberian Gauge. Am I missing something on that particular map, or is there another metric here?
Portuguese here, can confirm we only have Iberian Gauge. We are in talks to make a new high speed line, using EU standard gauge, between the two major portuguese cities (Lisbon and Porto) and then connect it to Spain. But this is Portugal, and politics here is like watching monkeys in a zoo, so i wouldnt count on it
@@Napoleon_Blownapart I would attribute the hesitation of the high-speed rail for passengers to the results of the sustainability reports developed over the past years. In summary, the distance between Lisboa and Porto are short enough that many people use the car. Moreover, the amount of stops needed to please the population and achieve profitability would make HSR (High-Speed Rail) trains not reach their full potential. Namely: - Braga to Porto, where Nine is a good connection to Northern Spain, and Famalicão is an important city; - Porto to Aveiro is a short distance, where the top-speed would never be reached; - Aveiro to Coimbra would allow the top-speed for brief minutes - Aveiro to Pombal / Entroncamento would allow the top-speed for brief minutes - Below Lisbo, we would have Setúbal, which is near and would require the complete overall of the 25 de Abril Bridge (a very important connection to this route), or the building of a completely new bridge; - To the South, only Faro, which would only make profit in the Summer. In summary, with the size of the country, the current approach: a train with a high-speed of ~250 km/h is plenty. Portugal needs two things: - Increase the capacity of the Northern Line (Linha do Norte), between Lisboa and Porto, by adding another track (the signalling system, as far as I know, is already at its maximum capacity) - Create better cargo routes, in Europe's Stanrdard Gauge, especially from Ocean ports to Spain, which connections to Central Europe. We can discuss further: - Standardize gauges, but specially the electrical supply, of trains; - Improve the system efficiency, in order to comply with schedules defined. If we look at Spain - with far bigger distances to cover - car is still the king, despite the investments made by the Spanish Governments in HSR. Yes, there was a positive shift from plane to train, but again: far greater distances.
@@hitardo Yes, but the goal would be to connect portugal to Europe's rail, because at the moment, there is no rail passanger service to Madrid, for example (except a train-hotel that takes all night).
@@Napoleon_Blownapart I have traveled on that train-hotel - which is not an experience I would characterize as "good", just "acceptable". Nevertheless, that connection - in my opinion - would only make sense if: - It allows Passenger and Cargo trains to travel alongside each other; - Has a connection from the Sines Ocean port; - Has good connections to the rest of the Portuguese population. Regardless of what I think / desire, I think the only movement will see on the rail side will be motivated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Sines will be a major entrance port for gas and oil to Europe. But the other European ports will be a challenge, as they are already ready to receive that type of Cargo, and already have rail infrastructure directly to Germany and France - regarding Netherlands and Belgium ports.
It would be amazing if RailBaltica had personal vehicle transport platform, just like EuroTunnel. Put a car on the train @ the Baltics and ~6-7 hours later be in Berlin with a car and continue journey to specific destination.
@@henrikmanitski1061 agree and hope so. Frankly, I hate flying, not a fan of bus rides and too lazy to drive outside of Latvia. Really hyped about this project.
There is actually a problem in Lithuania that people have to abandon their homes because the railway was planned to go over someone’s houses. Still I hope it goes well though.
Happy to see that Vilnius simply cannot let Kaunas have anything nice, opting to completely redo their passenger railway station and almost triple in size while requiring a connection through Kaunas to even be part of Rail Baltica
Timewise, the express trains from Tallinn to Warsaw should not take a detour to Vilnius. Lithuania should run separate trains between Kaunas and Vilnius.
oh, you finally made a video about rail baltica 😃😃😃👍👍👍👍👍 though i have to disagree with the title, both the Mediterranean corridor and the Fehrmann belt tunnel are bigger projects
Me living in Kaliningrad: I wish it could be connected to Kaliningrad as well Also me: FORGET THAT FOREVER NOW You are living in poor sick military country with mindless bloody goverment and nobody wants to deal with
You have a lots of military there, so Putin would not invade you if you were to declare independence. Maybe even join EU in the future... Be brave and good luck.
Portugal and Spain have their iberian gauge, trains can still travel from Spain to France due to adapting bogies, a spanish system invented over 40 years ago. The move to change gauge is political and emotional. Finland has no intention to change from the russian imperial gauge, they stated it last week. I wonder where will they find the money.
€16bn is very optimistic for the tunnel it will go over that budget for sure. Probably double but might still be worth it if the EU have the funding for it.
As I recall from my one trip there the Russian Kaliningrad province is standard gauge presumably from the time it was East Prussia.I took a train from Kaliningrad to Berlin and expected a gauge change as had happened a year or so before on my Bucharest to Kishnev trip but was surprised when it didn't happen.
Well it would seem you travelled that one line that was not converted post-45 - the old Ostbahn between Berlin and Königsberg. Everything else is in 1.52 m nowadays.
At 1:00: So, currently no connection Pol-Lit outside of Rus Kallingrad exclave. So this is a new connection, not just gauge change. How did you forget to note this?
Actually, the geology of the Gulf of Finland is better for tunnel making than the English Channel one. Also, new technologies make the work quicker and cheaper compared to the late 1900s. But I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be completed before 2040s. And not because of money or technology, but because of geopolitics - Russia doesn't want the two Finnic nations to be even more physically connected.
@@carleryk i suppose the EU is strong enough to give zero shits about what it does between its two own members at this point,but I agree that it will be an immense challange with equally significant geopolitical consequences
@@physiocrat7143 Market of 500 million people? Visa-free travels through EU? Higher salaries? Better living conditions? Less influence from ruSSia? You name it.
@@blueeyedbaer The purpose of an economy is to enable people to obtain what they need and want. The EU Single Market gets in the way. It is a self imposed blockade against imports from the 165 countries which are not in the EU. The economy does not exist to make stuff and sell it to foreigners. The thinking behind the EU trade and economic policies are back to front.
They would need to make an entire separated line for that. They wont mix high speed trains with cargo. This seems a good compromise and efficient use of resources.
As it's mainly meant for freight traffic, high-capacity is more important than high-speed. 200-230km/h is the sweet spot between reasonable freight-capacity, reasonable travel times for passenger services, and reasonable operating cost. Above that speed freight capacity goes down rapidly, while operating and maintenance cost goes up significantly.
@@stephanweinberger Hopefully they are at least building it so the gradients and curves of the line could be fully high speed if it were ever decided to upgrade it in the future? That would then require a separate line for freight but I can see that happening 15-20 years down the line.
One of the most annoying thing living in Baltics is that to get to the neighbouring country aprrox. 300km, you have to either fly or take a bus for 4 - 6 hours. So, weekend trips are less likely to happen. When this is done, I feel there will be a strengthen bond between the Baltic people due to visiting each others countries a bit more.
Flying is easy nowadays/
@@ligametis Sure but the whole getting to the airport, security, waiting, boarding, landing, finding public transport takes time and a lot of effort. Flying is great, airports suck.
weekend trip for 300 km? when you gonna rest? trip still will take 4-6 hours -.- they just change gauge
@@tuams just drive…
@@ligametis With climate change, flying is the past because it can't be electrified. Rail is the future, because it can.
Its so hard currently to travel between the Baltics via rail, So this will be a big boom for the region
Hello from Pärnu, I just moved here a bit more than year ago. Anticipated that I would move in 2023 (most noticable constructions should start on RB) but COVID economy speed up my travels.
If it's in the same country then it's kinda ok, but going country to country is a burden, from Vilnius to Tallinn via rail it took me 25 hours. Its when Vilnius still had a connection to Daugavpils (sadly now it stops at a border about 30 km away, now it's impossible to go country to country besides the Valka connection between Latvia and Estonia).
I did my Erasmus Semester in Riga and didn’t want to take a plane. It was such a pain to get there from Germany. I will definitely return when Rail Baltica is ready
I tried to do it 2014 and forgot it. Rail connection to Helsinki won’t happen but the ferry services will be sufficient. I can’t wait when this service is ready.
@@PurpleDuneEfa Don't think in Russian speed standards, standards will change when the need arises. And the passenger trains are far from main reason to build the railway.
Fun fact - IF the railway tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki will be completed, the tunnel would be longest undersea railway tunnel in the world. The lenght between two cities is 80 kilometers but the tunnel would be at least 90 to 100 kilometers long.
It will hardly be constructed in the nearest future. The cost is very huge while the potential economic profit is uncertain as both Helsinki and Tallinn are pretty small cities. I doubt they'll be able to generate enough freight and passenger streams to repay the tunnel construction expenses.
I still would love to see a connection of Finland to the European high speed (and freight) network 😍
@@Konservator69 Though you have to consider that currently Helsinki is the busiest passenger port in the world and Tallinn the third busiest.
@@seneca983 Sounds not very realistic. Proof link please?
@@Konservator69 I'm not sure about existing railway connections in both countries, but that tunnel could theoretically connect the two networks together. It isn't simply connecting two cities together, but the entire rail and indeed entire transit networks of both countries together. You are also ignoring potential transit oriented development that will make these two cities grow economically. It is important to analyze the benefit to the entire network when it comes to transit planning, not just a single segment's popularity
many people here in latvia didn't believe this could ever be accomplished, but a month ago they started building the new main station
This is awesome! I would like to travel on such a train.
I went to Jelgava and Sigulda in Latvia. ❤
sure they can't -.- Russian Empire and USSR built for them Railroads using lots of money, whicch small Latvia just doesn't have and also there not enough cargo to transport there so it will never give profit, welcome to capitalism
@@tsugumorihoney2288 I'm sure if us Europeans (the EU) decide it's part of strengthening our union against the Muscovites we will get it done. Also your choice of words are interesting "built them railroads"... Do you think it was a gift? Not a part of the Russian's exploitation and control of the Baltics?
@@Konstantin2004 it were part of infrastructure to make this parts of Russian Empire and USSR connected with other parts. So EU invest in it to control of the Baltics and thats it
@@tsugumorihoney2288 The EU is a union of democratic states that the Baltic states joined by free will. The Soviet Union was the inheritors of the Russian empire. The Baltics didn't want to join the USSR. The communists sent a lot of the them to Siberia to welcome them into the USSR (and a lot were shot directly). And since they don't want it to happen again (or to go through what Ukraine is suffering right now), it makes sense that we do all we can to strengthen our union, don't you think?
I'm from Latvia, and this Railway will certainly change the way i travel. Just now i got from a 4,5 hour drive from Tallinn to Rīga, but with Rail Baltica it will be much more easier. Also the airport will finally have a solid connection to the centre. And of course the old, ugly soviet station will finally be rebuilt and that whole neighborhood will look a lot better. Can't wait.
True. Getting from Riga airport to Riga by bus takes a long time. A train would be awesome.
But you won't have your own car in Riga then
@@ligametis what do you mean, you don’t have to sell your car just because there is a railway?
@@Reutviv loool I think he/she means that once they travel from Tallinn to Riga by train, they don't have a car to travel around in Riga. But that is an extra plus I think. Less pollution and more public transport
I don't think it will happen. Corruption, corruption, corruption. Plus economic crisis coming.
I really like that interactive map showing where it’s going to go
With the dependence of Russia's military logistics on rail transport, it seems like converting the network, particularly in the eastern regions of the Baltic countries, so standard gauge could have great defensive importance. It would also tremendously improve economic integration with the rest of the EU by providing through-freight access. The Baltic countries were still quite economically reliant on trade with Russia until earlier this year, and the broad gauge rail network certainly contributes to that dependence.
Yes but you can't really get rid of existing railway. It would be astronomically expensive to switch whole rail network gauge. Also, there is treaty in place which guarantee Kaliningrad transit for Russia which is done almost exclusively by rail. Big part of LTG (Lithuanian rail opperator) income is transit fees. Not only to Kaliningrad but also to Klaipėda port. Until recently it was used a lot by landlocked Belarus. Passenger rail is not as popular in Lithuania sadly. So yes, gauge is integrated economically more with the east countries. And idk what has to happen for that to change. Maybe in the future.
@@tomaspangonis2440 During WW 2 Germans almost completed that. But Soviets switched everything back.
@@fidenemini111 All the steel production that was going to the military was suddenly free and available for massive projects like this. Now is not so easy
@@tomaspangonis2440 Oh no, railway beavers gnawed the rails of the Soviet standard, we have already begun to repair, but we have no money for this, but for now we will temporarily put the rails of the European standard here, we have money for this, as soon as the opportunity arises, we will return the rails of the old standard, definitely in years uhmm never.
Railway beavers can rip off the rails after the port but on the road to Kralovec. Then you can find the missing rails and arrest them for investigation. A lot of beavers do not need a few hundred meters.
PS Approximately this is how the tram disappeared in my city thanks to the pro-Russian pariah "Party of Regions" and stinking gazelles appeared. Why not use their own weapons against the Russians?
In the same way, the Russians "repaired" the northern stream before they blew it up.
@@fidenemini111 Old wooden links.
The last months have shown that politically/geopolitically/socially eastern/central Europe must stick together. Close cultures, common interests and challenges, simple neighbourly partnership will be good for everyone. Greetings from Poland to its neighbors.
This will be amazing to jump on the HST in Vilnius and get to Warszawa in a few hours. This will tighten our relationships even further.
Northern Europe too. Baltic’s are northern Europe
I would go to Lviv and Odessa from Warszawa
@@tomaszjakubowski3922 Would love to remake commonwealth but with train lines.
@Nastro Adhesivo enjoy your rubles :)
This megaproject needs more attention. It's very important to all these nations.
well its okay but not very important.
This project will be a boom to the connected countries! Thank you Railways Explained for this great elaboration of the Rail Baltica Project. I really like the way you summarize all the important aspects of projects and rail systems around the world and never be boring at the same time. I love the content!
It would be nice to see if Eurostar could ever extend from Amsterdam to Helsinki using Rail Baltica
Rail Baltica already connects networks in Amsterdam , Germany, and Denmark and other places... read their official website
Rail Baltica is one of the most interesting railways projects in Europe, in my opinion, and you've made a great video explaining it!
Could it be that the link to your Patreon in the video description is redirecting to your merch-store instead?
Thank you for noticing. We just replaced and put the correct link to the Patreon page. Thank you.
@@RailwaysExplained No problem :)
I, as a German, always am a bit hesitant to show pride about my home country, but I am freaking proud to be European and partof the EU!
I’m French, and I approve this message.
Which you didn’t vote for, where there’s a lack of democracy within the EU Parlament and where a portion of its memberstates shouldn’t be members in the first place and are mostly benefiting but not giving a lot back in return and where the EU heavily interferes with national sovereignty and national law.
@@theowlfromduolingo7982 yawn
@@salahidin So none of that is true or do you just don’t care about the situation you find yourself in?
@@theowlfromduolingo7982 It's false and uninteresting. End of conversation.
I'm from Riga. It would be very nice to travel on such line. Looking forward.
I live in Helsinki and I'd like to jump on a fast train to travel to Riga some day. 😎
Very interesting video, thank you. I wish the Baltic tigers all the best with the project. They developed a lot during the last years.
Great video. It's very interesting to learn more about railway projects in Eastern Europe as they are often overlooked. People tend to focus on Western Europe and East Asia when it comes to rail. Hopefully Rail Baltica becomes a success. Keep up the good work👍
Great video showing the rail baltica project it will connect the baltics (and also finland if the tunnel gets approved aswell) to the main European railway network making it easier to travel between the countries. Cannot wait to see the project when it's finished
Finally a video about a railway from my region, thank you so much!
Its a great railway and it looks like it's going to be a significant strategic importance for all of EU.....but what about the Polish part? Not a single word mentioned on it, except that it will end in Warsaw...
I wonder if they use the existing connection from the Lithuanian border to Warsaw. It's standard gauge after all.
Last time I was there the trains only ran a couple times a week though.
Sadly there isn't much point from Polands side to expand the network into north east, so until the project is done on Baltic and maybe Finland side it won't get any new right of way
I dunno about HST tracks, but if the gauge is the same, you should just need to build a simple connection?
@@Ignash Not exactly - if the speed is 240 km/h, I'd be shocked if existing rail would be able to handle that. Though for cargo we should be already more or less ready.
@@viinisaari Poland will use the current connection but it's being modernized
Beautiful project, I am sure it will boost the connectivity, cultural and economic exchange and tourism in the 3 baltic countries
Already to reach Lithuania by Poland is a huge mess due to Kaliningrad and Suwalki corridor. The absence of highways connecting well the 3 countries is also a mess to be considered
Highway is not needed
It's a nice boat trip.
@@nolkerss sure Riga Tartu in 4 hours instead of 2 lol
Just crossed it few days ago, to connect both countries with highways it takes time. So hopefully within next 5 years it will be done all the form Warsaw towards Kaunas.
Highway is being built as we speak, but rail is even better.
This project is of very high importance. Thanks to this new line, you not only move goods and people but also military equipment to defend Baltic states. Also, for Poland, it is a very crucial project because makes close cooperation with Baltic States even more real and easier.
Thank you. Good video.
This track will be in a mere 5 minute walk from my home in Riga.
10 min by light-train to Pasila in Finland for me!
Then fast train to Riga and all other awesome places! 😎
Armenian 🇦🇲 here. So happy that my beloved countries are getting United through railway network. Hope Armenia will join the EU one day
Azerbaijan yes, they can. Armenia no, Armenia is too poor to be in EU.
@@alx9889 Azerbaijan NO, Azerbaijan is Iran
@@alx9889 no, Azerbaijan is Turkey and aggresive, we don‘t need you in EU.
Глупец. Так ничего и не понял
Might become a possibility actually. But we have to be realistic, Armenia will probably apply after Georgia joins in 2030 (+-2). But yes, Armenia is welcome, greetings from Germany
can we all appreciate the Logo of the Ministry of Transportation of Lithuania?
Can't wait to travel to Europe to try this train out!
U good?
Did you say you want to travel to another continent just to travel by train(mostly through plains?) I know you barely use rail in the states but..
Why do you care? There are flights already everywhere.
Thanks for the great overview of this project. Having family in Estonia, I am really looking forward to Rail Baltica opening! Connections to Western Europe will becme so much easier.
Nice... Good job. Subscribe and like from Indonesian 😁
As a Polish I can't wait! It will improve interconnectivity of all involved countries so much! This route will explode with passengers both directions when it comes to fruition.
As Latvian I’m extremely happy about this project. About time that we are connected to the mainland of the EU!
First time hearing about this, sounds like a great project!
It will be a great aid in more thoroughly incorporating the Baltic States into the European Union.
Can't wait about this new railway on Baltic. Because Baltic known as Road an Air Transport, for Road especially Long Distance Bus.
In the 1990s I travelled by train between Riga and Tallinn a handfull of times in those old Soviet-made trains. I think they did no more than 50-60Kmph. The sleeper compartments were just fine, as was the food in the dining car, spouting a giant samovar, and all. I have also ridden the local 30 Kmph wooden-benched commuter train between Riga and Slōka in Jūrmala on numerous occasions. Same locomotives, I think, but different carriages.
The summer landscape was fantastic and you were so far north that it started to lighten at 3 a.m. when you were raised for pasport checks on the Latvian/Estonian border (this was prior to the EU memberships).
Last year I went to Latvia by ferry and car and did not have time to go to Tallin, but I plan to go to Latvia again next year, and I hope there will be time to hop on the train and go visit Tallinn again; nothing beats sitting on the old citywall on a bright summerday, taking in the view of the fjord going to Sankt Peterburg.
Old Riga is great with the river running thorugh the park, and all. But medievel Tallin is in a league of its own; a pearl among pearls.
Ah yes, the wooden benches and 40kph travel. I remember those days, it wasn't that bad for short distances!
@@incremental_failure This september I was back in Latvia and rode a local train a couple of times. The trains are the same but the insides have been modernised with softer seats. However, I liked the wooden benches better for some reason or other. Maybe I'm just getting too old to appreciate change.
I really hope FinEst tunnel will work out well
I love the subtile touch of coloring the map of the states all in Lithuania's colors.
Anyway, this will make the baltics quite the holiday package!
The insert at 13:52 is so cute. I travel through that very wave of a road by weekly. How'd had changed over the years!
(Kaunas, Amaliai crossing)
Have you checked about HS2, the UKs future Railway running between london to Birmingham and York and Scotland, with a speed of 200 Miles per hour, and very futuristic stations via old oak wood, The future stations are called: London Euston, Old Oak Wood, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham Interchange, Birmingham Curzon Street, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, York, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, (stations are not in order)
We already covered that topic in previous period. You check in out!
If it ever gets builf
Please do a video about Balkans or Serbia since the country is reconstructing it's main corridor which is also a European corridor connecting Europe with Turkey and ports on the Greek coast.
Ako me uho ne vara, po izgovoru engleskog rekao bih da je autor naš, tako da zna 😊
The situation with Serbia is extremely complex. Especially with Russia in the mix.
@@nntflow7058 What does that have to do with railways?
@@Dimitrije002 how do huge global social political events not influence multinational infrastructure building?
@@jh5kl Because Serbian goverment said they will not be ditching any projects despite the situation and is currently building the railway in the northen part of the country. Hungary is a little late but they should be starting their part of the tracks soon. Meanwhile the EU already agreed to help build the southern part and construcion is supposed to start in october. Now for the rest of the countries i dont know but thats why i said to do a video only on Serbia or on plans for the whole corridor through the region.
One issue throughout the project and highlighted recently is rolling stock. This will be the first project in Europe where there will be no national or tri-national company operating the line. It will be solely run by private companies (most likely new and current) like Flixtrain, Ouigo, Deutsche Bahn and so on. Thus, there is no security on whether or not there will be actual trains running on the lines when the project is fully completed sometime in 2030 or partially completed post-2026.
Otherwise, great video and thanks for paying attention to this project. Not a lot of TH-camrs have covered this project.
The thing is our train companies in Baltics are semi private, all their stocks are owned by the government, but the leadership and employees consist of the private people. They will definitely going to have trains running when this line will open.
With this project the government will be able to compete greatly with huge Lithuanian logistics sector that dominate the field right now.
@@Ignash Well, I hope so.
@@Ignash EU doesn't allow governments interfering with the private market. Are you raised as communists, since that's unknown?
EU allows for government to own stocks in the company.
"private companies" DB is literally state owned
Europe needs more local rail networks , not high speed intercity lines . Local rail has been almost abandonmded in the EU , and its necessary to have a car outside cities .
The picture at 8:44, when telling about existing commercial ferries between Helsinki and Tallinn, looks more like Norway. There are no mountains like that anywhere in Finland or Estonia. Least of all near the capital cities.
Kaunas - Bialystok (Poland) line will start again in July. It will take 4:30 though.
This is a great project and will help connect these three countries better to the other parts of Europe. Hopefully, they will have better engineers and constructors than we have had on the BER (airport Berlin-Brandenburg) and the Stuttgart 21 railway project.
and the 2nd Main Tunnel in Munich 😉
This is an amazing example how the European Union finances and supports projects that benefit the member states as well as the economy, climate and individual! I much prefer traveling by train instead by plane. Even if it might take longer, I hate busy crowded airports, security, standing in lines, small and cramped spaces, bad food and no ability to walk around or use the internet! I hope the whole project will go on smoothly and I would love to visit the baltic states and one day even drive up to Helsinki! Thank you for this great and informative video!
Who in the member states actually gets to benefit?
@@physiocrat7143 almost everyone
@@drerri How do you work that out?
@@physiocrat7143 better conncetivity = faster movement of goods = higher quantity = lower costs of shipment = more money = economic growth
@@bohomazdesign725 Exactly right. And EU trade policy has actively got in the way and prevented normal trade between the Baltic countries and their nearest neighbours. They were formerly the most prosperous regions of the Soviet Union, but now, cities like Narva and Daugavpils have become ghost towns. The populations of all three countries has shrunk. There is just one train a day between Tallinn and St Petersburg, taking 6 hours.
This obstruction to normal trade is one of the reasons for the present tensions.
Some info:
So Lithuanian Railways LTG Link and PKP Intercity have a route to poland!
Vilnius-Kraków,
That's is a very real good idea linking Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the rest of Europe with the standard gauge. They could even use ports in the northern Adriatic sea ports like Koper or Trieste which are used by many central European countries.
No industry left in the Baltic countries.
@@physiocrat7143 No brain is left in your head.
@@physiocrat7143 bzdura
@@Quinnstown Daugavpils was the main industrial city in Latva. Ghost town. The same goes for the industrial towns in Estonia. Cities in the east of Poland like Bialystock struggle to attract businesses, to judge from their Web site. RVR Riga lost most of its work.
Nonsense?
@@physiocrat7143 Lithuania has lost of manufacturing, check them out.
Estonia is one of the fastest growing IT hubs.
"Industry" in the 21st century is different from plants and factories of the old.
Very nice video, as always! This is a very interesting topic and im glad you've covered it! (:
Fun fact: In early 20th century when Latvia was independent, the rail network was huge, each day there were trains coming from and to, between routes such as Riga -Paris and Riga-Berlin, then the rail network was demolished and changed.
I am looking forward to be able to go from Amsterdam to Tallinn
There should be a Malaga to Tallinn train.
This EU rail connectivity is an insane luxury for all people living within the EU region..
This will open doors for more tourism and logistical trade among EU nations.
Why so you call it a "luxury" then?
@@notroll1279 Its a luxury to be able to travel around the entire EU in a single train.
@@Zoza15
Travelling across the entire EU will almost always mean having to change trains - and even this rail project would mean that, for example, taking the train from Berlin to Riga would require changing trains in Warsaw. Still a lot better than taking several buses taking three times longer - but to me, it's not a luxury.
@@Zoza15 The time of the Orient Express has long since passed.
Thank you for quality material and perfect wording not only in technical terms!
Great project. €4.6 billion send incredible value for 800km of high speed electrified rail, especially compared to HS2, which is approaching €100 billion for 530km.
I personally like the idea of HS2, as the UK could do with a faster connection between its major hubs. But why do the costs seem to explode there?
@@JeremyGreysmark I agree. I think HS2 is necessary for the UK and even though the cost is high, I think it will pay it back many times over in benefit to the UK economy. I can understand building a new line out of London is expensive, but not sure why the parts outside London are costing so much. But to be honest, my is surprise is not how much it costs in the UK, but how it's so cheap in the Baltics.
@@lostcarpark here in Estonia the existing rail corridor exiting the city has plenty of room for additional tracks and the countryside is generally empty of people anyway. It has been designed to avoid areas with people. But then again, that means it can't be also used for local commuter traffic. It'll become more expensive anyway.
I imagine that in UK major cities are already quite built up, which would mean a lot of tunneling, hence a price tag of 100 billion.
@@kalle911 Makes sense. You don't want to be clogging up the high speed line with commuter traffic. However, spurs off it for regional trains would be a great way to get maximum use of the new line. Is Estonia planning to keep 1520mm as its national rail gauge, or transition to standard gauge? Or would adding a third rail for dual gauge running be viable?
@@lostcarpark One could have sidings/stations for slower traffic to move onto. And proper scheduling, also with options for passengers to switch trains in larger stations.
I've recently seen some opinion columns on converting to standard, but that's really expensive. And considering the amount of competence and funding as far as railroads are concerned, I'll be surprised if we even manage electrification. They can't even build god damn railroad crossings.
There can not be a third rail for dual 1435/1524mm gauge, it must be four rails.
this will surely also boost tourism in the baltic states when the project is finished
because one baltic state as such surely isn't "worth the trip" to the mind of many people yet if you could fly to one of the three states and make ~ day trips to another one, the baltics as a whole will get much more interesting/convenient to travel to
Yeah, taking a 2 hour trip to the next major city is very convenient. Air travel is annoying, jumping on a train is by far the most convenient form of transport.
12:16 - It's nice that you added in the time to check in and board at the airport but half of the time spent traveling by plane in short journeys is getting to and from the airport which are generally outside of city centers and deboarding which ends up being about 1:30 onto each journey. This means that in most cases traveling within the Baltics by train either be a lot faster (downtown to downtown) or competitive to air travel even going from Tallinn to Vilnius or Vilnius to Warsaw. Going to Berlin will still be much faster on a plane though.
You would also have to get to the Rail Baltica station first if you want to take the train. But the stations are probably placed closer to the city center. But it will depend on where you are, which one will be faster.
This project is will not only boost the economy of the Baltic region, but it will also improve its security.
EU had its faults but with that project they got it right.
The project is big and much desired, the Baltic states deserved it.
Complementary highway network is under advanced construction as well.
The bright future is just around the corner! 🙂
If Europe needs one thing to improve upon it would be a more unified streamlined rail network.
Imagine hopping on a Train in Estonia and getting out in Spain without much of a hassle.
Currently cheap airlines and buses dominate train travel.
That imaginary trip will never happen, since it is not economically feasible, due to Spain and Estonia being on different geographic ends of Europe. One train from Estonia to Germany + another train from Germany to Spain is more within reason. I would believe that decent high speed rail will replace air and bus travel on routes under 1000 km. On longer routes air travel will still win.
How would that happen? It's far too slow for such a long trip and you'd have to switch trains. Upwards of 6 hours of train travel time you'd want a compartment or would rather use an airplane.
@@incremental_failureplane would take around 6 hours aswell, not to mention that train is cheaper
@@brick647 It doesn't take 6 hours by train from Estonia to Spain. It takes over 20 hours just from Poland. So from Estonia it's closer to 26 hours. Flight is around 4 hours, these airports are efficient so maybe a bit over 5 hours total. And the plane ticket will be much cheaper.
@@incremental_failure i mean u were one to say 6 hours not me
List of the longest of high speed railway tunnel building project status
1. Very Bad / worst (0 km - 10 km)
2. Bad (11 - 30 km)
3. Poor (31 - 40 km)
4. Average (41 - 60 km)
5. Good (61 - 140 km)
6. Very good (141 - 350 km)
7. Excellent (+ 350 km)
Cool video! As a suggestion, it would be pretty cool if you did a video on the Lyon-Turin connection that is currently under construction. It will be the longest tunnel in the world after it's completed.
I wish I could visit all these countries by train from Berlin. Poland is easier but still feels not quite properly connected.
It's an interesting project, but the main benefits appear to be to move (a) freight, (b) passengers between the Baltic countries, and (c) to a lesser extent, passengers between the Baltic countries and Poland and beyond. A lot depends on the railway infrastructure in Poland and especially Germany. The Germans still have to build a third track to connect a Dutch freight rail route, which was opened in 2007, to their own network. It's now slated to open in 2026, almost 20 years later.
Faster, easier and sustainable connections between humans are always great, but this project is especially important seeing the russian warmongery and threatening towards eastern europe. Im optimistic for this project, because other than the germans, people in this part of europe can get things done.
Rail Baltica is a corridor of standard gauge (1435mm) tracks designed to connect the Baltic states with the main EU rail network but it is NOT a replacement of the wider "Russian gauge" (1520mm) tracks in these countries. Finland also uses this gauge and it is not replacing its track network. So the 1520mm tracks will still be used throughout the region. Also, Rail Baltica was planned and started long before Russia invaded Ukraine and that event has no relevance or significance to the RB project. In fact, if Russia and Europe ever get around to making peace (one can hope) this project will benefit both economies and help facilitate trade and the movement of goods and people.
It's quite plausible that in the next 20-30 years the whole domestic network in Estonia will be gradually regauged to 1435 mm.
Make videos on Indian semi high speed corridors. Pune-Nashik($2B), Trivandrum- Kasaragod($9B), Ahmedabad-Rajkot($4B),etc.
*There is no such thing as a "semi high speed train" ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET EXCEPT DESPERATE INFERIORITY COMPLEX "incredible superpower india". It's nothing but a MADE UP term made up by YOU incredible superpower indians to make yourselves feel better about yourselves OVER THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T OPERATE REAL ACTUAL HIGH SPEED TRAINS.*
*In Japan and China and in Europe and in United States and Canada there are trains that operate at 160km/h to 200km/h and they are called SIMPLY "express trains" and NOT the incredible superpower india MADE UP TERM "semi high speed train" BECAUSE REAL ACTUAL HIGH SPEED TRAINS OPERATE AT 250KM/H AND NO ONE USES "semi high speed".*
1:21 The Russian Gauge is an important factor in the project, so it would be nice to have got it right. At 2:30 he gets the Standard Gauge measurement right.
"[..] prior to World War II the Baltic States were connected to Europe with a standard 1435 mm gauge railway."
Do you have a source to back this? Estonian railways were originally built with 1524 mm gauge, though the Germans converted them to 1435 during the WWII. Wikipedia is a bit vague on the Latvian and Lithuanian railways, but the little data there is hints that they were also built with 1524 mm gauge originally.
AFAIK all the Baltic states gauges were originally 1524 mm except Memelland (Klaipeda area) in Lithuania which was a part of Germany until 01/1923 and after 03/1939
Lithuania was standard gauge in the interwar period, the others were broad gauge afaik.
@@bahnspotterEU prior to WW1 Lithuania as a part of Russian Empire except Memelland used 1524mm gauge. AFAIK in 1915-1918 during the german occupation it were constructed a lot of narrow gauge railroads for "deforestation" of Litauen.
@@mikeromadin8744 That doesn‘t change the fact that Lithuania used standard gauge between the wars. It was previously converted from Russian gauge, and later converted back to Russian gauge.
It's not difficult to change the gauge on the wooden sleepers, just move rails inward and hammer new holes. A bit more difficult in modern times with the concrete sleepers tho 😁
1:58 Portugal and Spain (Iberian Peninsula) are on the same colour as the other European countries, despite them using as their main gauge the Iberian Gauge.
Spain, with its High-Speed Rail, has built many train lines with the Standard Gauge; however Portugal - to my knowledge - is dominated by the Iberian Gauge.
Am I missing something on that particular map, or is there another metric here?
Portuguese here, can confirm we only have Iberian Gauge.
We are in talks to make a new high speed line, using EU standard gauge, between the two major portuguese cities (Lisbon and Porto) and then connect it to Spain.
But this is Portugal, and politics here is like watching monkeys in a zoo, so i wouldnt count on it
@@Napoleon_Blownapart I would attribute the hesitation of the high-speed rail for passengers to the results of the sustainability reports developed over the past years.
In summary, the distance between Lisboa and Porto are short enough that many people use the car. Moreover, the amount of stops needed to please the population and achieve profitability would make HSR (High-Speed Rail) trains not reach their full potential. Namely:
- Braga to Porto, where Nine is a good connection to Northern Spain, and Famalicão is an important city;
- Porto to Aveiro is a short distance, where the top-speed would never be reached;
- Aveiro to Coimbra would allow the top-speed for brief minutes
- Aveiro to Pombal / Entroncamento would allow the top-speed for brief minutes
- Below Lisbo, we would have Setúbal, which is near and would require the complete overall of the 25 de Abril Bridge (a very important connection to this route), or the building of a completely new bridge;
- To the South, only Faro, which would only make profit in the Summer.
In summary, with the size of the country, the current approach: a train with a high-speed of ~250 km/h is plenty.
Portugal needs two things:
- Increase the capacity of the Northern Line (Linha do Norte), between Lisboa and Porto, by adding another track (the signalling system, as far as I know, is already at its maximum capacity)
- Create better cargo routes, in Europe's Stanrdard Gauge, especially from Ocean ports to Spain, which connections to Central Europe.
We can discuss further:
- Standardize gauges, but specially the electrical supply, of trains;
- Improve the system efficiency, in order to comply with schedules defined.
If we look at Spain - with far bigger distances to cover - car is still the king, despite the investments made by the Spanish Governments in HSR.
Yes, there was a positive shift from plane to train, but again: far greater distances.
@@hitardo Yes, but the goal would be to connect portugal to Europe's rail, because at the moment, there is no rail passanger service to Madrid, for example (except a train-hotel that takes all night).
@@Napoleon_Blownapart I have traveled on that train-hotel - which is not an experience I would characterize as "good", just "acceptable".
Nevertheless, that connection - in my opinion - would only make sense if:
- It allows Passenger and Cargo trains to travel alongside each other;
- Has a connection from the Sines Ocean port;
- Has good connections to the rest of the Portuguese population.
Regardless of what I think / desire, I think the only movement will see on the rail side will be motivated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Sines will be a major entrance port for gas and oil to Europe.
But the other European ports will be a challenge, as they are already ready to receive that type of Cargo, and already have rail infrastructure directly to Germany and France - regarding Netherlands and Belgium ports.
Ireland is also shown, and we use 1600mm gauge.
It would be amazing if RailBaltica had personal vehicle transport platform, just like EuroTunnel. Put a car on the train @ the Baltics and ~6-7 hours later be in Berlin with a car and continue journey to specific destination.
Or go to Berlin, and take the train from there 🤦♂️ or if you really want to a rental car
@@jan-lukas nah I wanna zig-zag to all the difficult to reach places from there, at my own whim, and I love driving my car.
@@OtoGodfrey you can do that with a rental
@@darthmaul216 can not rent an M5 that easily.
I’m looking at the costs, and can’t quite fathom why HS2 in England is probably going to cost fifteen times this project for a third of the distance.
The cost of the entire project is eight billion.
I'm from Latvia. Rīga central station has been built yet. He are planning to build RB fragment from Iecava to Bauska and Rīga airport station.
Hi, railways explained. In other video, would you talk about an other mega project, "Egnatia railway"?
It is interesting project, so we will consider doing it.
@@RailwaysExplained what about some projects in Sub-Saharan Africa besides South Africa?
At 1:20 your diagram is not quite right. The gauge is measured between the inside faces of the rails, not the outside.
Is there a prediction when it will become operable at least to Tallin?
Most optimistically, by 2025. No later than 2030
@@HaloFTW117 70-80% probability for 2028.
@@henrikmanitski1061 agree and hope so. Frankly, I hate flying, not a fan of bus rides and too lazy to drive outside of Latvia. Really hyped about this project.
I can't stop laughing at the thumbnail, that lead car is so short compared to the length of its nose I can't take it seriously!
There is actually a problem in Lithuania that people have to abandon their homes because the railway was planned to go over someone’s houses. Still I hope it goes well though.
There always are such issues. You cannot build around every house. Eminent domain is a thing.
Note: The gauge is measured between the inner rail flanges. (1:18)
Awesome Idea 👍💯
Thank you for great and informative video 👌
Happy to see that Vilnius simply cannot let Kaunas have anything nice, opting to completely redo their passenger railway station and almost triple in size while requiring a connection through Kaunas to even be part of Rail Baltica
Timewise, the express trains from Tallinn to Warsaw should not take a detour to Vilnius. Lithuania should run separate trains between Kaunas and Vilnius.
Definitely an awesome project. Also the disconnection from BRELL must be sped up.
Finland is also wide guage.
oh, you finally made a video about rail baltica 😃😃😃👍👍👍👍👍
though i have to disagree with the title, both the Mediterranean corridor and the Fehrmann belt tunnel are bigger projects
Me living in Kaliningrad:
I wish it could be connected to Kaliningrad as well
Also me:
FORGET THAT FOREVER NOW You are living in poor sick military country with mindless bloody goverment and nobody wants to deal with
You have a lots of military there, so Putin would not invade you if you were to declare independence. Maybe even join EU in the future... Be brave and good luck.
Portugal and Spain have their iberian gauge, trains can still travel from Spain to France due to adapting bogies, a spanish system invented over 40 years ago. The move to change gauge is political and emotional. Finland has no intention to change from the russian imperial gauge, they stated it last week. I wonder where will they find the money.
Hey RE, will you cover the 2000km egyptian railway project?
Yes
€16bn is very optimistic for the tunnel it will go over that budget for sure. Probably double but might still be worth it if the EU have the funding for it.
The tunnel will likely not be built before 2040. That gives the rail connection plenty of time to prove itself.
for this moment its rising a via carpatia the highway connect Helsinki via Baltic Country via Poland via Slowakia via Hungary to Greec
As I recall from my one trip there the Russian Kaliningrad province is standard gauge presumably from the time it was East Prussia.I took a train from Kaliningrad to Berlin and expected a gauge change as had happened a year or so before on my Bucharest to Kishnev trip but was surprised when it didn't happen.
Well it would seem you travelled that one line that was not converted post-45 - the old Ostbahn between Berlin and Königsberg. Everything else is in 1.52 m nowadays.
Asia russia train not europe
There is a special line from Kaliningrad railway station to poland border made with european gauge
Berlin - Memel
Ireland also runs on broad gauge, not the European standard gauge
Well, there's one very specific caveat concerning broad gauge in the Baltic region. Which doesn't really apply on islands in the Atlantic.
Since we arrived in this part of the world perhaps it's a good idea to cover CPK in Poland?
At 1:00: So, currently no connection Pol-Lit outside of Rus Kallingrad exclave. So this is a new connection, not just gauge change. How did you forget to note this?
On which website can you actually see the progress of the construction?
Yeah there's no way the tunnel will be only 16 billion. It would be a mega project that would make the English Tunnel look like a cakewalk.
Actually, the geology of the Gulf of Finland is better for tunnel making than the English Channel one. Also, new technologies make the work quicker and cheaper compared to the late 1900s. But I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be completed before 2040s. And not because of money or technology, but because of geopolitics - Russia doesn't want the two Finnic nations to be even more physically connected.
@@carleryk i suppose the EU is strong enough to give zero shits about what it does between its two own members at this point,but I agree that it will be an immense challange with equally significant geopolitical consequences
A bit missleading with all the animation showing a ICE3 roalingstock, when it most likely will be serviced by Pendalino or ICE4
@1:27: that's not how it's measured by the way
This could benefit Belarus if they join the EU and suddenly becomes democratic.
It is unlikely that Belarus will become Democratic especially with Putin's invasion of Ukraine and Russian troops stationed in Belarus
What good would joining the EU do for Belarus?
@@physiocrat7143 they can stop behaving like Tartars and behave like Europeans
@@physiocrat7143 Market of 500 million people? Visa-free travels through EU? Higher salaries? Better living conditions? Less influence from ruSSia? You name it.
@@blueeyedbaer The purpose of an economy is to enable people to obtain what they need and want. The EU Single Market gets in the way. It is a self imposed blockade against imports from the 165 countries which are not in the EU.
The economy does not exist to make stuff and sell it to foreigners. The thinking behind the EU trade and economic policies are back to front.
Is this copy from Globalista? (Polish video maker) Or is it just a coincidence?
seems like a missed opportunity to have a max 234km/h running speed and not being fully high speed, but any link is welcome
They would need to make an entire separated line for that. They wont mix high speed trains with cargo.
This seems a good compromise and efficient use of resources.
As it's mainly meant for freight traffic, high-capacity is more important than high-speed.
200-230km/h is the sweet spot between reasonable freight-capacity, reasonable travel times for passenger services, and reasonable operating cost. Above that speed freight capacity goes down rapidly, while operating and maintenance cost goes up significantly.
@@stephanweinberger Hopefully they are at least building it so the gradients and curves of the line could be fully high speed if it were ever decided to upgrade it in the future? That would then require a separate line for freight but I can see that happening 15-20 years down the line.