European Railroad Discussion > Rail sabotage rising in Ukrainian conflict

The NY Times has an article about the rise in sabotage of rail assets by supporters of both Russia and Ukraine. Russia, in particular, has many defense related plants located on the eastern side of the Ural mountains,  and relies on several multi-miles long tunnels to access the west and the war front. Ukraine is dependent on rail supply lines through Poland.

The immediate issue is a carefully executed improvised explosive device placed on a munitions trains. The IED detonated inside the nine mile tunnel, causing serious damage. Russia says it will be resolved in weeks, the Ukrainians say months. A second attack occured on another rail supply line 48 hours later. Both lines are key links with Russian munitions factories and the imported weapons from North Korea.

Poland has convicted several people of placng explosives on railroad tracks or conspiring to do so.  This matters because both sides have very long rail supply lines, and both sides have some people within their borders who object to the war.  Although Russia has faced a continuous struggle inside occupied Ukraine, the attacks inside Russia 3,000 miles from the front lines are something new. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/31/world/europe/ukraine-russia-train-sabotage.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/24 07:15 by Lackawanna484.

I give the Ukranians credit for bombing a 9 mile tunnel.  Sounds like big slow expensive repairs.  

MEKoch Wrote:
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> I give the Ukranians credit for bombing a 9 mile
> tunnel.  Sounds like big slow expensive
> repairs.  

I had the displeasure of dealing with the aftermath of a big pileup in the Cascade Tunnel. After days of clearing the wreck and fixing track enough for trains, there was months of 10 mph and many intermittent hours of out of service every day. It was less than fun. Actually, even when Frisco Northern management managed to collapse the only 2500 foot long Everett Tunnel, it was less than fun. In fact, so much less than fun that dispatchers got a commemorative jacket.

TAW