European Railroad Discussion > Russian trains through Lithuania

The NY Times has an article today about the growing tension between Russia and NATO member Lithuania over Russian use of a guaranteed use rail corridor between Russia and its small exclave, Kaliningrad, a military base on the Baltic Sea. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia and independent Lithuania developed an agreement to secure passenger trains passing over Lithuanian territory to prevent passengers from jumping off. At the time nobody thought about limits on freight bound for the heavily militarized port. The imposition of sanctions on Russian exports have caused the Lithuanians to consider what, if anything, they can do with the flow of goods through their territory.

Russia has accused Lithuania of interrupting freight traffic, Lithuania denies this, and points to diminished Russian shipments. Russian officials threaten consequences. Yet, the Russian troops in the exclave and on the Russian border with Ukraine have been largely shipped to Ukraine. NATO officials in Lithuania have seen no signs of a military build up by the Russians.

Kaliningrad is what's left of the former East Prussian fortified city of Koenigsberg, taken as a war prize following World War II. The Soviet boundary drawing never envisioned a time when Russia would be forced to pass through foreign territory to access an important naval facility.

There are a number of pictures of trains in Lithuania.  The NY Times has made much of its Ukraine war coverage free to all users. I don't know if this qualifies or is behind a paywall. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/world/europe/kaliningrad-russia-rail-sanctions.html

Saw that via another media.
Lithuania has giant brass ones. God love em' 

Seems as though there is a pay wall.
However you can read about it free at BBC News.
Read Russia may ct them off of their power .
ALLEN
 

Hey Lithuania! The US has railroad executives who can put a stop to all that undesired traffic in the name of profitability or something.

Tikslus Planinis Geležinkelis (Precision Scheduled Railroading)

TAW

I was in Lithuania in 2018 and drove to the border with the Kaliningrad enclave at
Kybartai. I watched a freight train being marshalled on the Lithuanian side for onward travel to Russia (via Belarus) and the arrival of the weekly Kaliningrad to Chelyabinsk passenger train. I was surprised how open everything was, how easy it was to photograph. Back then there were at least two daily 'corridor' passenger services across Lithuania connecting Kaliningrad with Russia via Belarus, to and from Moscow and to and from St Petersburg.

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Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Kaliningrad is what's left of the former East
> Prussian fortified city of Koenigsberg, taken as a
> war prize following World War II. The Soviet
> boundary drawing never envisioned a time when
> Russia would be forced to pass through foreign
> territory to access an important naval facility.

Kaliningrad Oblast is a bit more than just the city. What makes this ironic is that in the Cold War past, the Kaliningrad Oblast was administered by the Lithuanian SSR, though it officially wasn't part of it.