🇫🇮 “The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm). This historic decision reinforces its integration with the European Union and NATO.” www.trenvista.net/en/news/rnhs... - ThreadSky

ogilvie.org.uk • 34 days ago

🇫🇮 “The Finnish government has announced the conversion of its rail network from Russian gauge (1,524 mm) to European standard (1,435 mm).
This historic decision reinforces its integration with the European Union and NATO.” https://www.trenvista.net/en/news/rnhs/finland-migration-standard-gauge/

Comments

freewheeling.info•34 days ago

This strikes me as rather sad. Helsinki and St Petersburg are virtually neighbours: I’d much rather live in a world in which they were integrated as friends: as once looked like might happen.

In no peaceful world would integrating Finland’s rail network with Sweden be higher priority than Russia’s.

parrfamily.org•34 days ago

Russia is using rail to move troops and equipment into the occupied parts of Ukraine. I’m sure this is a strategic defensive move by Finland.

freewheeling.info•34 days ago

Agreed. I get the need ; just wish it wasn’t needed.

zachelsbury.bsky.social•34 days ago

An undertaking of Brunellian proportions

garyinscotland.bsky.social•22 days ago

Not at all, reducing the gauge won't involve re-boring tunnels or rebuilding bridges. A lot of work to do but volume work, nothing requiring vast amounts of new engineering.

zachelsbury.bsky.social•22 days ago

Which is similar to the GWR‘s re-gauge in 1892.

garyinscotland.bsky.social•22 days ago

OK, but that was on a Stephensonian scale wasn't it, since it was Brunel's gauge being amended?

zachelsbury.bsky.social•22 days ago

I would maintain it’s Brunellian given the volume of work involved that’s not strictly necessary but in service of a greater good and vision

garyinscotland.bsky.social•22 days ago

Fair enough. Hopefully it will run it's programme on time and under/on budget and not bankrupt it's client company as so many of his projects seemed to do.

ilv-83.bsky.social•34 days ago

I'll believe it when I see it. A few stretches of standard-gauge tracks near the Swedish border perhaps, but considering we can't even get funding right for a single line between two big cities, converting the whole network will likely never happen.

ilv-83.bsky.social•34 days ago

And indeed every piece of news after the initial announcement has been backpedaling, saying we'll "study it," and only discuss lines connecting to Haparanda in Sweden in anything resembling realism.

My prediction is that after the next parliamentary elections in 2027 this will be quietly forgotten.

po8crg.gadsden.online•34 days ago

There's a case for dual-gauging one line from the border to Helsinki so they can through-run freight and operate a direct Stockholm-Helsinki service, but that's about the limit.

ilv-83.bsky.social•34 days ago

The thing is, the distance is so fucking enormous that a direct passenger rail service has a hard time competing with the ferry service linking Helsinki and Stockholm. This also applies to most freight; going around the entire Gulf of Bothnia is simply too slow compared to the cost.

ilv-83.bsky.social•34 days ago

Now if they restarted the Turku-Stockholm train ferry service, things would be different.

Not to mention the Finnish mainland-Åland-Sweden fixed rail link. But like the regauging, that's just too expensive.

po8crg.gadsden.online•34 days ago

Slow rail freight isn't necessarily a huge problem as long as it's cheap. Freight from non-Iberian Europe to Finland should be cheaper by train than having to do two rail/ship transfers.

Passenger rail, sure, I doubt there would be much use for it without investment

ilv-83.bsky.social•34 days ago

The thing is, it's very difficult for rail to be cheaper than ferry, even when you factor in the costs of rail/ship transfers. If it were, things would already move to Finland by rail and simply be moved from Swedish to Finnish coaches in Tornio. Or have their boggies swapped there.

rustbeltenjoyer.bsky.social•34 days ago

I wonder if they'll end up with a bunch of dual gauge track, similar to Australia. Converting an entire country's rail gauge is a hell of a task and means replacing literally everything and starting from scratch, and that's just not feasible in a lot of cases.

rustbeltenjoyer.bsky.social•34 days ago

If this happens at all it will be a decades long slow rolling process, there's no way to do it quickly.

po8crg.gadsden.online•34 days ago

I wonder if the approach the GWR took is still possible: add the inner track and don't use it, then switch over on a huge scale on one day, then slowly remove the outer track. 1524/1435 is just enough difference that three-rail dual-gauge is possible, so maybe.

rustbeltenjoyer.bsky.social•34 days ago

We must resurrect Isambard Kingdom Brunel and send him to Finland.

ogilvie.org.uk•34 days ago

I don’t think Finland is looking to a long term transition by running 2 tracks together which could easily be reversed.

…rather it’s keen to quickly make its tracks incompatible with Russian guage. And Russian troop/tank trains. As quickly as possible.

gusonearth.bsky.social•34 days ago

In terms of operation, this is huge.

cranium84.bsky.social•34 days ago

The report from YLE in Finnish was a little less bold. This was an ‘in principle’ decision which will be reviewed and confirmed in 2027.

Construction could start in 2030 with a handful of lines to the Swedish border - but there’s nothing very concrete here.

parrfamily.org•34 days ago

Also makes it more difficult to move people and equipment if Russia ever planned to invade.

cranium84.bsky.social•34 days ago

True, but if the aim is to hinder a future Russian invasion, the first lines to be converted would be on the east of the country across and alongside the border - not the lines to/from a NATO ally.

parrfamily.org•34 days ago

Unless you want to be able to move troops and equipment into Finland from your allies.

timsbiker.bsky.social•34 days ago

Bit like left to right hand drive on roads......a lot to do

tobiaswatzl.bsky.social•34 days ago

It won't happen anytime soon or quickly. It will be a very long and slow process that will take decades starting with some mainlines.

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