Other news. I'm going to be the asshole who breaks the radio silence about the war that is currently happening in Ukraine, started by the Russian Federation, because yes - it will be affectiong railway stuff sooner or later.

As far as I know, freight continues to flow relatively normally for now, though no new Russian shipments arrive to the ports. Oil in particular keeps rolling in from the east, so is lumber. Neither are life's necessities, our oil and gas needs can be satiated with tankers and papermills be run on domestic or Swedish wood at least in the short term. This has sparked some discussion amongst foamers about building new bridges in Savonlinna to restore the connection towards Pieksamäki junction, to facilitate possible wood shipmens coming from North and West to the big paper mills in Imatra and Lappeenrata. In this regard we certainly have vested interest for the chrisis prolong!

Other noted thing is, that the sanctions will hit Estonian Operail hardest, whose whole business model has been transhipments to Russia. In general this will hit Estonian railways more badly, Russian trade is a huge portion of their business.

Finally, Allegro and Tolstoy have operated normally. For obvious reasons the return trips have been overbooked. For now it's mostly double nationals prepared for an extended trip it seems. The asylum applications haven started yet.

https://yle.fi/news/3-12345301

And finally, the fist Dr19 has recently arrived.
This means that the count down has started for the venerable Dv12, the unit of power, "medium diesel shunter".

https://www.vrgroup.fi/en/vrgroup/news/vr-groups-new-diesel-locomotive-begins-te
st-runs-in-finland-the-low-emissions-locomotive-strengthens-operational-reliabil
ity-in-freight-traffic-020220221628/

I'ts about 1.9 kW (engine) and 120 km/h, so purely a freighter. This is a great improvement, before VR only had 30 1.6 kW Dr16s though it's not enough to replace all Dv12s. This maybe quite small by American standards but consider 2 or 3 is enogh when train lenghts are 700-900 m of 60 ton cars.

In the picture: unidentified waycar from Ei series (in the red livery of the theft prone logo's ere, btw), new Dr19 2831, old Dv12 2659.

>kW
MW!
As usual, typoes galore, in particular that one that happened when double-gussing the correct usage of word 'prolong'.

Allegro has now added a third trip per day due demand. Assuming they use two unit trains, that's 2064 ppl per day (342+2 per unit) leaving Russia.

Ouch, in Allegro the rate for ruble is 1/203,83.

The official rate now is around ~~120~~ 145 (:D), but this is what happens. If your currency is unstable, private businesses that accept foreign currency will set a custom rate.

>it will be affectiong railway stuff sooner or later
Now it happened, for a whole 3 hours. The customs office ordered multiple trains stopped for inspections and this caused backlog, also several Russian trains were denied entry and told to come back without sanctions offending cargo. I have caught no news about the 300 or so Russian freight cars with offending cargo, but obviously they want them back in reasonable time. Or if not, they may confiscate - say - all the 4 Allegro units while they all are simultaneously in the Russian territory. This is what the foamers speculate and swiftly want to go back to the old engine change in Vainikkala (with disposable blue stock maybe) - routine.

I mean, I would fucking love that, would be like 'Sibelius' was back, this used to be the named parner for 'Repin' before Helsinki - St Petersburg service switched to multiple units.

https://yle.fi/news/3-12353429

And I lied. Due energy still being outside the sanctions, Russia actually has kept shipping in anthracite via Koverhar and possibly Mämtyluoto port(s). They also used to use the Baltic ports a lot. Probably all sorts of other bulk still also enters via various ports. "Z" graffiti has been spotted on multitudes of cars entering. What can I say, nice to watch a superpower next door slide to literal fascism D:

>>5201
We're back online now. Obviously, some bigger things going on in the world right now though. If you see the board is down, please reach out either via email or SMS.

>>5202
Thank you mike!

It was like minutes from my email, when I noticed that the database (or something, didn't check) seemed to be completely down. I deduced, you were already at work to fix the thing!

The thing is, when the error wisible in the "Manage" side appeared several days ago, I assumed you have seen it, and thus it was okay in the short therm :/

>>5187
Although about 10 days old, I found this article interesting:

https://www.businessinsider.com/on-board-the-mobile-command-thats-keeping-ukrain
es-trains-running-2022-3?op=1

>>5204
Since you brought it up, I have to say that the Ukrainians have done a great job denoying Russians from opening up railheads to help the encirclement of Kiev. You can see how railheads in Kherson and Melitopol have boosted their advances, once they establish further railheads, it starts to look quite bad. Conversely - when Russians hold Korosten, and the resistance in Konotop gives up. Then and only then you see Kiev encircled. Thís is only the worst case scenario of course, assuming that neither side concedes and this inhumane meatgrinder keeps going. /war

Apparently our railways are doing the 'silent treatment' with each other, only sending formal letters to each other about pressing operational matters about the remaining crossborder traffic - hopefully electronically by now.

>Repin
Fucking Tolstoy, what was I thinking. And that's suspended too, so only Allegro runs and it's only open to Finnish and Russian citizens currently.

Well, no more war news I suppose as no more incoming trains until further notice are accepted after 12pm on 27th of March. The news have only mentioned Allegro service stopping, but as that's happening because of sanctions against RZD, it is given that their freight cars aren't welcome anymore either.

This is VR, but I can't see how this wouldn't affect Fenniarail and Operail as well.
https://www.vrgroup.fi/en/vrgroup/news/vr-transpoint-is-suspending-freight-traff
ic-from-russia-until-further-notice-due-to-sanctions--260320221420/

Fenniarail has certainly removed (most) references to crossborder approved cars from their site, only mentioning the 22 sliding wall twins they directly own with a "no further clarification needed" statement that their rollingstock will be completely reneved in 2022.

All this causes, among other things, an acute shortage of timber cars. Currently the ministry of transport (and communications, (because they have so much in common)) is working an exception that lasts until 31.12.2023 to allow Finnish or non-sanctioned party owned Russian/crossborder compliant timber cars to be used domestically. This mainly concerns some 200 cars owned by Metsä Fiber, that's the political force behind this.

From the horse's mouth: https://valtioneuvosto.fi/-/kotimaan-puunkuljetuksiin-esitetaan-helpotusta?langu
ageId=en_US

Frankly I didn't even want to check the forums for this, because the "GOST compliant cars aren't good enough" -discussion was given. There's the gauge difference, they have looser tolerances overall and most don't have partial brake release, though the standard valves used are supposedly compatible with the feature. I guess they just mainly lack the second reservoir, then.

The illustration stolen from train-photo.ru user Бурый. Keyword: "Воздухораспределитель".

>Well, no more war news I suppose as no more incoming trains until further notice are accepted after 12pm on 27th of March.

And VR backed down mere two days later, kicked out the CEO Lauri Sipponen yesterday while claiming first he resigned, but the real situation leaked immediately. Then came the announcement they would withdraw from the eastern market in 'controlled manner' as the existing contracts expire. This would take 'several months'.

https://www.vrgroup.fi/en/vrgroup/news/vr-discontinues-its-eastern-freight-traff
ic-in-a-controlled-manner-060420221535/
(Note, nothing on the site about the CEO change.)

The rumors are wild: perhaps it has nothing to do with the war but instead because Sipponen demonstrated weakness towards the Finnish state, ostensibly the party that should be in control. Maybe this is linked to purchase of Swedish Arriva - a bus company, but was he for or against? The truth may never be told as nothing strictly illegal has happened.

I'm not mad, just disappointed - towards everything, including my fellow railfans. (Just STFU if you don't have nothing to say but VR bad or 'ryssä ryssä ryssä...')

At least the container trains from China will keep operating. For us, there are even worse options than what the central Europe has; either circle through Sweden with a break of gauge on the way or ship over the Baltic just to reach where their China expresses arrive and depart.

(Better bump the thread.)

Sooo, this happened on Sunday.

Oh dear! If there will be legal consequences is to be seen, especially as they had been sowing grass fires around for the whole day and this wasn't even the first time the deck of the flat car caught on fire, either. Amateur fireman or is this business as usual?

Helsinki tram network just grew about 50%! 'Jokeri' light rail, officially line 15, is open now with reduced frequency as there aren't yet enought vehicles for full service and the old bus route 550 will operate until the end of the year in any case.

Yle English:
https://yle.fi/a/74-20056359

(If you open the link and watch the video, don't get confused by the out of tune brass music - it's supposed to be like that.)

I'll go and ride it for sure, the next time I visit home. A 200 km detour but what can you do. About that; I didn't move back, still in Turku.

About Turku: the tramway plan is slowly advaincing, now entering into build planning stage and I kind of hate it. It's castrated to make it short. There should be two branches to the north and not that pitiful stub into the port. That was in the preliminary plans, but only in the "2nd phase", meanwhile Raisio and Runosmäki are two of the most heavily used bus routes, but arguably still well doable with improved bus architecture, which was postponed just like that. For 12 years. Yet they want a tram. I fear we are building an American streetcar here.

Anyway, the decision to build should be in 2025, but I highly doubt it, the plans will be reopened multiple times still.

>There should be two branches to the north
Like this, this closely matches three of the most heavily trafficked sections of the bus network.

And what comes to the bus improvements that could easily postpone this project by 10-20 years, I'm talking about things like introducing clock fase scheduling and not this different departure times every hour nonsense, combining separate lines that are in practise understood to be a single route into trunk lines, lanes, signal priorities and articulated buses when the demand calls for them. There is plenty of room for improvement but the city fathers & mothers simply don't see value in buses.

About reopening the plans: there hasn't been a track gauge study yet for example. Of course the plans go with standard gauge but we do have better potential for tran-train operation here compared to Tampere. They had a study on that and on 'Jokeri' metre gauge was chosen for compatibility. Also if "city" of Raisio suddenly shows interest to join the tramway project, things may start to progress quickly in that direction too.

Back to Jokeri-line for a bit.

Since the opening there has been two collisions with cars, both in the same intersection. The authorities claim the intersection is adequate, both of the cars just didn't look left before they turned.

Also the first case of a driver getting stuck on a ballasted track during the revenue operations happened. This one went far too! I don't get why the first instinct of people in this situation is "Imma just drive forward", because now the transit agency's 'pioneer vehicle' really had to pioneer with the associated wear and tear.

At least it was sunday morning.

This kind of place. You may see the issue: it really does look like a slip lane.

Anyway, that's all for today!

So, the new Helsinki line 15 has suffered from cars getting stuck on the track almost daily, sometimes several cases per day. Over 50 cases, most of them in this January.

Why is anyone's guess. Maybe people there are used to drive on the exclusive right of way because the whole existing network is paved, even the grassy parts for the emergency vehicles. Old people are over represented, and taxi and delivery drivers.

The city has brought these cope cones to the worst locations, permanent solutions will be considered in spring.

Just look at this place! How can one not have some doubts about their actions before they hit the ballasted track section?