A Sense of Immediacy – Ukraine & Romania Reconnected By Rail (The Russian Invasion of Ukraine #291)

Beauty is few and far between these days in Ukraine. Tragically, the war tends to divert focus from the incredible acts of teamwork and unity that Ukrainians have shown during the last eleven months. Countless stories of the good and great are subverted to the endless series of tragedies small and large that occur each day with terrifying regularity. It is difficult to imagine what could possibly be good in a land where the inhabitants are going through long periods without electricity or water. With sub-zero temperatures in the dead of winter, Ukrainians are bundling themselves up against the cold and figuring out work arounds to find a bit of comfort amid the many miseries of war. Life goes on as it must. Ukrainians still go to work, commute to and from their homes, conduct their daily business with one eye on the sky, and their ears attuned to the scream of air raid sirens. Nevertheless, they continue to live and love while fighting to defeat Russian aggression. Every act of daily life, of normalcy is a small but essential victory in a war effort that demands self-control, suspension of disbelief, and incredible amounts of resolve.

Reconnecting With Romania - A Thing of Beauty

Essential to making daily life a bit more bearable in a nation beset by war are the critical public services that allow Ukrainians to keep moving forward. These include metros and marshrutkas, open roads and railways running on time. The latter has been one of the greatest success stories of the war. Ukrainian Railways have continued to provide essential services despite, or perhaps because of the war. Their efforts at moving Ukrainians safely around the country deserve the highest commendation. One of the best ways to learn about their success is to follow the Twitter account of Alexander Kamyshin, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways. Kamyshin provides constant updates on the work that is being done to allow Ukrainians the freedom of movement. His tweets are a thing of beauty. They remind the reader that the war has not stopped Ukrainians from making sure a job is well done. To this end, Kamyshin relays some astonishing information. Take for instance, a tweet he made on Saturday, January 14th, stating that 95% of trains departed on time and 96% arrived on time. It is hard to imagine any national railway company exceeding those numbers in a time of peace, let alone amid the largest war fought in Europe since 1945.

A few days ago, Kamyshin provided more good news in a series of tweets on the opening of a cross border railway line between Ukraine and Romania for the first time in 17 years. To complete the project on their side of the border, Ukrainian railway workers reconstructed 20 kilometers of track during the summer. The Romanians reciprocated by later finishing the section of railway on their territory. Prior to the war, this project had suffered from numerous delays. Ironically, the war has given new impetus to achieving efficiencies in public transport. The endless delays that befell such infrastructure projects prior to the war have vanished. A can-do spirit has taken hold. The war has brought few good things to Ukraine, but a sense of immediacy is one of them. “The future is now” should be the motto for Ukrainian railways.

Within Reach – A Single Railway Journey

The completed line connects Rakiv-Berlebash-Dilove in southwestern Ukraine with Valea Visului in northern Romania. From the latter, trains may head deep into Transylvania or further south to the Romanian capital of Bucharest. This connection between the two countries is particularly important because Romania is a member of both the European Union and NATO. Military supplies can now flow northward by rail. They will be entering Ukraine through an area that has been virtually untouched by Russian attacks. The rugged Carpathian Mountains - 60% of the range is in Ukraine - acts as a natural barrier making this part of Ukraine difficult to attack. With few population centers to target and its far-flung location, the region is an afterthought for Russian military strategists.

As Kamyshin made clear in his tweets, the completed project is more than just an avenue of transport for military supplies. It will also provide a connection for the 30,000 Ukrainians who are citizens of Romania that want to visit their family, friends, and ethnic kin back in the motherland. There are also the 86,000 Ukrainian refugees living in Romania who are waiting out the war. Whenever it is finally safe to return home, many of them will do so by using this new rail route. The most important effect of the rail line will be its benefits to the Ukrainian and Romanian economies.

The line is a major boost to the export of Ukrainian agricultural commodities which are still hampered by the Russian Black Sea Fleet blockade of Ukraine’s coastline. While trains cannot match ships for quantity of grain exports, any additional capacity will help support Ukraine’s economy. In that regard, tourism will also increase as more Romanians can begin traveling into one of the wildest and most affordable vacation destinations in Europe. The Carpathians are usually seen as exclusive to Transylvania, but the least visited part of the range can be found in Ukraine waiting to be discovered. Now the region is easily within reach on a single railway journey.

Centerpiece - The Heart of Europe

One thing Kamyshin’s tweets did not mention is a monument located close to Dilove, a Ukrainian village the new rail connection passes through. Close to Dilove is a unique monument placed there by Austro-Hungarian authorities in 1887. This marks the spot imperial geographers claimed as the geographical center of Europe. While many other places have made similar claims, this was among the first. That notoriety was soon lost as the winds of war swept through the area multiple times, obliterating the empire and leading to the monument being hidden behind an iron curtain. That curtain was torn down between 1989 and 1991, this led to the birth of independent Ukraine. For many, that was the moment Ukraine rejoined Europe, but the truth was that it had never left. The heart of Europe was always there. It still is, now more so than ever.???