A major accident in the world’s longest rail tunnel, and the continuing role of railways in the Ukraine war, comprise the second part of our look at the top international rail stories of 2023.
Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel closed
The derailment of a freight train in the world’s longest rail tunnel on Aug. 10 led to the twin-bore Gotthard Base Tunnel under the Swiss Alps being closed completely for two weeks, as some wreckage had spilled into the second tunnel bore. Once that was cleared, the undamaged bore reopened for up to 100 freight trains a day using the one undamaged tunnel, but the other one requires over a year of repair work.
In September, the Swiss accident investigation confirmed a broken wheel on one freight car had caused the derailment, and that the initial derailment of the northbound train in the westernmost bore went undetected for some miles, causing relatively limited damage — until the damaged wheel hit switches at the Faido emergency crossover, leading the train to break up, with some cars totally wrecked. The investigation has shown the wheel manufactured in 2008 failed due to multiple cracks, initially in the tread, which through vibration in operation had spread, leading to a major fracture. The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board told the media that despite modern, state-of-the-art trackside monitoring systems in use, such failures cannot be detected.
Swiss National Railways, or SBB, resumed limited passenger operation using the Base Tunnel as of Dec. 10, with 31 passenger trains using the route on weekends, when repair work pauses; this had begun on a much smaller scale in late September. Otherwise, passenger trains from central Switzerland to cities in the southern canton of Ticino or Italy have been using the classic Gotthard mountain route, adding to journey times and limiting operational flexibility, as clearance restrictions prevent the use of bilevel trains that operate through the Base Tunnel. The Base Tunnel is expected to fully reopen in September 2024, with repairs likely to cost more than $120 million.
Railways remain vital to both sides as Ukraine war grinds on
By New Year’s Day, the war between Ukraine and Russia will have been underway for over 675 days following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Railways remain vital to the military on both sides, which use them to move equipment and troops from all over their countries. For both sides, railways also play a vital role in moving supplies from other countries — in Ukraine’s case, equipment supplied by the USA and NATO allies via ports in western or southern Europe, and in Russia’s case, munitions from North Korea, which has a direct rail connection to the Russian network in the Far East.
In late November it was reported by Russia and Ukraine that the longest rail tunnel in Russia – the nearly 9.6-mile, single-track Severomuysky Tunnel on the Baikal–Amur Mainline (BAM) in eastern Siberia — several thousand miles east of Ukraine — had been damaged by explosions onboard a passing train. Reports suggest a nearby viaduct on alternate mountain route in the same area was targeted a day later, and Russian authorities then reportedly arrested a Belarusian citizen on suspicion of blowing up railway cars on the line, acting on instructions from the Ukrainian secret service. The BAM route is the more northern and modern of the two Trans-Siberian routes, and is likely being used to ship munitions supplied by North Korea for use in Ukraine. The Severomuysky Tunnel was completed in 2002 and opened in 2003.
In the eastern part of Ukraine, occupied by Russia in early 2022, it has been reported that Russia is building a new railway line to connect the Crimean Peninsula (illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014) via land it occupied in February 2022. The new line will head south from the Russian city of Rostov on Don, near the coast of the sea of Azov, joining the existing rail network in Crimea. While Russian politicians have announced the construction, it’s unclear how much actual work has begun. The corridor the line would use already has one rail line south from the occupied city of Melitopol and is a key target for Ukrainian forces seeking to recover their territory. If built, the new line would provide another alternative to the bridge over the Kerch Strait connecting Russia with Ukraine, which has been the target for repeated Ukrainian attacks.
Due to the danger of Russian air attacks, foreign leaders visiting Ukraine have had to take the train from the border with Poland. U.S. President Joe Biden did this from Przemyśl, Poland, on Feb. 20 to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Playing on the name of the aircraft Biden usually uses to travel, this led Ukrainian Railways (UZ) to nickname the VIP saloon “Rail Force One.” The car was built in 2005 by Polish train builder Pesa Bydgoszcz and is equipped with two bedrooms and a conference room, and has been used during 2023 by several foreign leaders visiting Kyiv.
Away from the actual fighting, the war has had major impacts on the European rail industry, especially for the train manufacturers that sourced parts and people from Ukraine. Both are now less easy or impossible to access. For Russia, what had become a growing and lucrative rail freight transit route from China to European countries has seen volumes fall dramatically, although not completely disappear. All passenger rail links between Russia and Europe were severed within days of the Ukraine invasion, and several countries that border Russia have closed cross-border railways. In Finland, which has closed almost its entire border with Russia, state rail company VR announced it was taking ownership of four Alstom-built Allegro tilting trains it owned in a joint venture with Russia’s rail company RZD. The trains were built for service on the St Petersburg-Helsinki route, but services ended in March 2022. VR plans to use the trains for domestic service in Finland in 2024, although RZD has objected saying the move is illegal.
Previous News Wire coverage:
Gotthard Base Tunnel:
“Derailment closes Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel,” Aug. 10, 2023.
“Gotthard Base Tunnel repairs to extend into 2024,” Aug. 16, 2023.
“One tube of Gotthard Base Tunnel reopens for freight traffic,” Aug, 23, 2023.
“Swiss to increase long-term tunnel capacity, repairs underway on Gotthard Base Tunnel,” Sept. 11, 2023.
“Gotthard Base Tunnel repairs make take until September 2024,” Nov. 2, 2023.
“Swiss plan will significantly increase weekend passenger traffic through Gotthard Base Tunnel,” Nov. 18, 2023.
Ukraine war:
“Ukraine’s railways mark one year of war,” Feb. 27, 2023.
“Railways take over grain exports from Ukraine,” Aug. 1, 2023.
“Ukraine update: Railways see espionage, sabotage, and station attacks as war grinds on,” Sept. 27, 2023.
