European Railroad Discussion > Article on trans border trains in Europe

The Boston Globe - ‘Always annoying’: Hassles of cross-border trains hamper EU’s green ambitions
https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=bcde7c1b-43bc-4629-be1a-91b75fabcb78

The article is more akin to a rant here on TO.

The article seems to have a focus on traveling across international borders, and the reluctance of some countries to facilitate that at smaller rail crossings.  Like Latvia and Lithuania having un-coordinated passenger schedules.

Maybe, instead of having an EU, it's time to restore the Austro-Hungarian empire, Ottoman Empire. etc. It would resolve a lot of problems...

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Maybe, instead of having an EU, it's time to
> restore the Austro-Hungarian empire, Ottoman
> Empire. etc. It would resolve a lot of problems...

I wouldn't suggest that to the Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians, they only escaped the Russian / Soviet empires 30 years ago.

86235 Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Maybe, instead of having an EU, it's time to
> > restore the Austro-Hungarian empire, Ottoman
> > Empire. etc. It would resolve a lot of
> problems...
>
> I wouldn't suggest that to the Latvians, Estonians
> and Lithuanians, they only escaped the Russian /
> Soviet empires 30 years ago.

Yes, and the Ukrainians. That's why I didn't mention the (old) Russian empire...

The rail maps of the Austro-Hungarian empire are very impressive. From the Adriatic to the Silesian mountains. The Ottomans ran trains to the Black Sea, the Red Sea,  Mesopotamia, etc

So it is as difficult to cross borders by train of these former Soviet-controlled entities as it is between the US and Canada. 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> The rail maps of the Austro-Hungarian empire are
> very impressive. From the Adriatic to the Silesian
> mountains. The Ottomans ran trains to the Black
> Sea, the Red Sea,  Mesopotamia, etc

Our rail maps from before about 1960 were impressive too. There is more at play than countries and empires.

TAW

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> So it is as difficult to cross borders by train of
> these former Soviet-controlled entities as it is
> between the US and Canada. 

Depends what you mean 'difficult'. There's no actual border so if you're on a bus, riding a bike, driving a car or walking there's nothing to impede you. But none of the railway operators concentrate on international PASSENGER traffic, partly because the orientation of the railways of the Baltic States is towards Moscow, not between the current capitals. There's no direct route from Tallinn to Riga or from Riga to Vilnius. There is a daily train from Tallinn to the Latvian border at Valga and a train from Valga to Riga, but there's a four hour wait at Valga Monday to Friday between the arrival of the train from Tallinn and the departure of the train to Riga. It's better at the weekends, just 59 minutes. There are plans to connect all three capitals via a new standard gauge line, but that is making slow progress.