Comments

• Jerry (2018-08-30 20:21:09.749468)

  Pretty massive, especially on one track line. Do you know, how much of all transit in Belarus are China-Europe container trains? +

   
• Siroger (2018-08-30 23:32:27.866197)

  +1

  One track is enough usually, there is only one problem areas - Krynki - Lyozna stretch with length of 23 kilometers. The maximum train mass for 3M62U on Smolensk - Vitebsk direction is 7000 tons, and for 2TE25KM even more (I don`t remember exact datas, but it seems to be 8300 tons), so many trains are not needed. In addition, RZhD try to use wagons with a total mass of 100 tons for "coal" trains and there are no problems with the length. About the containers. I don`t know, how many percent are accounted for container transportation, but last year there were 3217 container trains or 257100 container in TEU. But in 2018 the traffic has increased, planned about 4000 trains per year. Therefore, now some trains don`t go through Brest/Malaszewicze. One passes through Bruzgi, one - through Svislach. It`s planned to restore Czeremcha/Vysokae crossing. Initially, they wanted to finish works this year, but there is no news yet. The list of container trains you can see here https://www.rw.by/en/freight/container_transportation/

   
• Jerry (2018-09-07 00:09:01.106541)

  Thanks for fast reply, sorry for my absence. 8300 tons is quite a lot (in Poland nowadays it is 4500 tons hauled by Budokrusz E6ACT and Freightliner PL hauled ca. 5300 tons with two Class 66 locos a decade ago, AFAIK maximum for a PKP Cargo it was 4200-4300 tons). I`ve also seen works in Czeremcha - It is a good thing to have a second connection with Brest, we have many problems with intermodal trains - current bandwidth is not enough for servicing Polish-Belarussian border and local overhauls do not help i.e. trains stop even as far as 300 kilometers due to the lack of free tracks. Still it is a good news that container transportation causes restoration of many railways. I really hope that there will be more container trains seen with diesels hauling them in Siemianówka-Svislach or Czeremcha-Vysokae crossing.

   
• Siroger (2018-09-07 19:07:16.031391)

  Everything is OK On 1520 mm area, the standard train mass is 4500...5000 tons (except for the mountainous area). For Europe such trains, of course, are rare. New Chinese freight locomotives BKG1 (copy of Alstom Prima) can push 9000...10000 tons trains (usually in reality try to give up to 8000). The maximum mass at Svislach-Siemianówka crossing by 1435 mm track - 2800 tons (for Class 66, 311D and E6ACTd - although I`m not sure, that the last two visit Belarus), at Bruzgi-Kuznica - 3200 tons (for ЕТ22 and E6АCTd). In general, the volumes in Svislach have increased several times over the past few years. And there is an opportunity for growth. Therefore, containers will go there more often. About Czeremcha/Vysokae. In Belarus only a section from Vysokae to the border is abandoned. Stretch from Vysokae to Lyshchitsy is not used regularly, but the condition is normal (this year it have repair). The section from Brest to Lyshchitsy is used almost daily: trere is terminal for reloading liquefied gas. Therefore, the work is not so much.

   
• Jerry (2018-09-10 22:18:47.80762)

  Thank You for so detailed information. Good to know that at least Belarus cares about its railway. I hope that old ST44s with 14D40 engine survive until opening Czeremcha-Vysokae crossing, but reality is brutal. All but one locos are going to have 2D49 engine and ST48 (modernized TEM2) will come very soon. What is more in March 2019 probably PKP PLK will re-open electrified route Lublin - Dęblin (the only way to Warsaw with overhead lines). PKP Cargo hires even 311D due to the lack of rolling stock and probably will hire even BR232 from private operators. But as soon as the modernization ends (+ currently Warsaw - Białystok is modernized as a part of Rail Baltica project), national freight operator will have much more freshly modernized locos. This is the end of classic PKP diesel locomotives - there are only 2 ST43s and about 5-10 ST44s (depending on defects). Plastic rail incoming...

   
• Siroger (2018-09-13 20:13:39.435282)

  In Belarus, the density of railways is quite low, so there are almost no abandoned lines. But there are some on border areas... One - near Poland, Berestavitsa - Valily crossing. Berestavitsa practically dies: DMU only twice a day and the cargo one or two times a week... I know about ST43 and ST44 in Poland. Last year in Svislach we with my friend photographed old "Gagarins": 1056 and twice 172. But in the autumn 2017 and spring 2018 trere were only the modernized ones - 1230 and 1224. Initially, I was normal to ST48 (a new foreign locomotive...), but now they got me bored In Svislach, to my surprise, I rarely saw them (only twice), but in Brest... Now they visit almost every day. In Belarus there are not so many problems with the dominance of the "new". The new rolling stock is bought poorly - recent years, only FLIRTs from Stadler and PESAs have been bought (but they are as an addition, not a replacement), and in the cargo - BKG1 and BKG2. During repair BCh`s M62 are not equipped new engines 2D49, so they will for a long time. Yes, M62 are also cut, but slowly (the last four years only about 20 locos), we have in work locos, that were produced even in 1970 (10 machines to August 2018). The only thing, from the passenger traffic was removed the legend - TEP60. Like a fan - I`m sad, but by logic... They are very uneconomical and expensive to operate. There is no shortage of passenger locomotives, therefore this is the right decision.

   

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