Infrastruct

The British infrastructure authority Network Rail has published its proposal for a north-south high-speed line (HSL). This would be the first domestic HSL in Britain, the only existing HSL is the link to the Channel Tunnel. The proposal is notable, because in most options the line would be ’self-contained’. No trains would join the line from the existing network, and none would leave the HSL for destinations on the existing network. That is probably the only feasible option, given the planned high frequencies – every 3 minutes.

Also notable is that the route is not specified, only the urban areas served. There is not even a vague map, only diagrams. It is clear that the line will avoid most urban areas, and that several stations will be located at motorway junctions. This strategy has been criticised in France – isolated TGV stations, accessible only by car. Even in major cities, the terminals would not necessarily be near existing stations – a mistake already made at Stratford, on the Channel Tunnel line.

This high-speed line (HSL) is intended to link four proposed high-speed lines:

• the high-speed line Berlin – Kaliningrad – Riga – Helsinki

• the upgraded line (Ausbaustrecke) Poznań – Sovetsk

• the high-speed line Warsaw – Kaunas – Riga, and

• the upgraded Warsaw – Vilnius – St. Petersburg line.

It would run parallel to the existing rail line on the route, which is now Russian gauge. That is logical on this route, which gives access to the hinterland of the port of Kaliningrad. However, a standard-gauge line Kaliningrad – Kaunas – Vilnius is equally logical, if standard-gauge lines pass through these cities. Historically the route had a break of gauge at Eydtkuhnen, on the border between the German and Russian empires. Apart from some narrow-gauge local lines, other lines within East Prussia were all standard gauge. It would certainly be logical to reconvert all lines in the present Kaliningrad Oblast, except the main east-west route. (The rest of East Prussia was allocated to Poland after the Second World war, and the lines are still standard gauge). Although more complex, conversion in Lithuania is also the best option, avoiding further gauge breaks there, especially around the cities. The most comprehensive option would be: standard gauge south of the rail line Liepāja – Jelgava – Krustpils – Daugavpils, and west of the Warsaw – Vilnius – Daugavpils – St. Petersburg line.

Passengers on a standard-gauge HSL Kaliningrad – Kaunas – Vilnius, could simply change trains at Vilnius, in the direction of Minsk. Alternatively, a limited number of variable gauge trains could be used for through services to Minsk. Other than that, an east-west Russian-gauge route would be primarily for freight. The new HSL proposed here is not for local traffic. On some sections, therefore, three types of line would run parallel: a standard-gauge HSL, a standard-gauge main line with freight and local trains, and a Russian-gauge freight transit route. Such a transit line could by-pass Vilnius and Kaunas, connecting via dual-gauge freight lines, to industry and freight terminals.

The standard-gauge HSL would start at Kaliningrad station, where it would diverge from the proposed Berlin – Kaliningrad – Riga high-speed line. The city of Kaliningrad / Калининград is important in itself, with 420 000 inhabitants, and as the only large city in Kaliningrad Oblast (population 940 000). The HSL would follow the existing line for 90 km, to Chernyakhovsk / Черняхо́вск, where it would connect with the Ausbaustrecke Poznań – Sovetsk. Some trains on that route would bypass Chernyakhovsk (bypass line in red), others would serve the existing station, and so would the HSL from Kaliningrad. Passengers could also transfer to a reopened line to Ełk.

From Chernyakhovsk, the new line would again parallel the existing alignment to Kazlų Rūda, 37 km from Kaunas. Here, it would the proposed high-speed line Warsaw – Kaunas – Riga, and they would form a single HSL into Kaunas. The section from Chernyakhovsk to Kaunas is 150 km long.

Kaunas (population 355 000, region 675 000) is is served by a single rail line through the city, and a bypass line at the eastern edge of the built-up area. The station is east of the city centre, and far from most of the built-up area. The new line would cross the River Neman into the station, on a new bridge, alongside the existing bridge. A new Russian-gauge transit freight line could bypass the city, about 5-10 km south, and rejoin the existing alignment between Kaunas and Vilnius. (The standard-gauge HSL to Riga would either follow the existing alignment out of Kaunas, or use a new tunnel due north, toward Kėdainiai).

The Vilnius HSL would first follow the existing rail alignment , and then the A1 motorway, to the edge of Vilnius – near Paneriai station. From there, it would follow the existing alignment into the main station, about 10 km further. These new tracks would also be used by high-speed trains from Warsaw, via the upgraded Warsaw – St. Petersburg line. The section from Kaunas to Vilnius would be 100 km long.

The main station of Vilnius (population 555 000) lies south of the city centre: as in Kaunas, there is only one line through the city. There is a bypass line, which also starts near Paneriai station, and runs in a wide semicircle south of the city. Russian gauge could be retained for this line, so that a new transit freight line would begin at Paneriai.

The whole line would be about 340 km long, so a journey time of 2 hours for the fastest trains should be possible.

Revised, with new maps, and a new proposed alignment:

High-speed line Hasselt – Maastricht

The 1333 km Warsaw – Vilnius – St. Petersburg line was built in 1862, entirely within the Russian Empire. (Poland was nominally a separate kingdom, but that meant little in practice). It was therefore built with Russian gauge, and operated as a unit. That changed drastically in the 20th century: the operation and function of the line were disrupted by two World Wars, and the subsequent boundary changes. At present it crosses four borders, twice crossing the EU external boundary, and it has a break of gauge. There are, not surprisingly, no through services.

There are no technical or geographical obstacles to a major upgrade of the line. Most of it runs through rural plains, with low population densities. Sections with restricted speeds can simply be rebuilt on parallel alignments. The line speed after upgrading would be a function of the resources applied. That does require a definition of the line’s place in the rail network, and that is what is indicated here. Journeys from Warsaw to St. Petersburg can not be the main function of the line, and probably they never were – the line is too long for that. Upgrading for 180 km/h would allow a through journey of about 10 hours, but that is still very long, except for tourist traffic. On the other hand, local and regional services along the line would benefit from upgrading, and their relative share of traffic would increase.

Accepting a limited role for end-to-end passenger traffic, means that break of gauge is not a problem in itself. The issue is its location, and that is related to the general question of rail gauge in the Baltic States. As suggested earlier, the north-south lines could be standard gauge in principle, and some east-west lines Russian gauge. Conversion to standard gauge would also make sense in Lithuania, and (except for the east-west main line) in the Kaliningrad Oblast. The lines in the former German territories (East Prussia) were all standard gauge originally. Between the two World Wars, much of the Lithuanian network was also standard gauge. And from 1918 to 1939, Poland extended to Vilnius and almost to Daugavpils, and the St. Petersburg line was standard gauge to Daugavpils Station. The line to Daugavpils apparently changed gauge four times during the 20th century, including a German wartime conversion in 1941, and ended as a Russian-gauge line in the Soviet Union.

Certainly, conversion of the section through Hrodna would have no consequences for the rest of the Belarus network, provided there is a short dual-gauge approach to Hrodna station, from the north. The branch to Druskininkai can be converted without any problem. In Lithuania, the St. Petersburg line is also generally separate from the rest of the network. The presently freight-only line to Utena is only connected to this line, and the line to Pastavy in Belarus shares a station only (at Pabradė). However, the important section though the Vilnius agglomeration is shared with the Kaliningrad – Minsk line. There is a by-pass line for most of that section, which could be left as Russian gauge, if it only carried freight. A complete dual gauge solution is the best option, with separate tracks for through traffic Kaliningrad – Minsk, and a new HSL Kaliningrad – Vilnius. The line to Lida in Belarus joins the other lines just outside Vilnius Station. It can be left as Russian gauge: a standard-gauge urban-regional metro on this route would require separate tracks anyway.

The pattern of inter-city services on the Warsaw – St. Petersburg line would then be comparable with others in the region. The urban region of Warsaw (Warszawa) has a population of around 3,5 million. For 60 km out of the city, the line would share track with the proposed high-speed line Warsaw – Kaunas – Riga. The line would serve Białystok (population 295 000), Hrodna (325 000) and Vilnius (555 000) – a route roughly comparable in length with the Warsaw – Berlin route. This section deserves an upgrade for line speeds of 200 km/h, comparable with the German Ausbaustrecke. The Vilnius – Daugavpils section is comparable with other inter-city routes in Lithuania, and could also be upgraded to this standard.

Daugavpils (population 110 000) is the best place for the break of gauge. North of here, the line serves fewer urban centres: the only other large city is Pskov, 275 km from St. Petersburg. At the station, the line shares a route with the Riga – Smolensk line, but only for about 1500 m. A new line into the station, with a new bridge over the Daugava river, would shorten the route.

North of Daugavpils, the line serves regions with lower population density, and fewer settlements. A regional service in Latgale, between Daugavpils and Rēzekne (population 37 000) is desirable. Beyond Latgale, the line is a classic “main line” dominated by long-distance traffic. Ostrov (population 24 000) is the only town between Rēzekne and Pskov (194 000). Rural population density here is under 10/km2. From Pskov, it is 133 km to Luga (population 39 000), and another 95 km to Gatchina (90 000). Here, at the edge of the St. Petersburg urban region, the line from Tallinn joins the Warsaw line. A 4-track upgraded route would be needed for the last 45 km, separating freight and urban services.

The urban region (the Federal Subject Sankt-Peterburg, Са́нкт-Петербу́рг) has about 4,6 million inhabitants. It would probably be the main destination for passenger traffic on the line from Daugavpils. Interregional trains would serve the five intermediate centres, with local services for the remaining smaller stations. (An intercity service, calling only at Gatchina and Pskov, would not be much faster than the inter-regional service). Finally, through trains (Warsaw – St. Petersburg) can be operated by variable gauge trains, with gauge changing just outside Daugavpils station.