StephenHunter
Established Member
The Soviet Union didn't exactly invest in public infrastructure there, that's for sure.
The Soviet Union didn't exactly invest in public infrastructure there, that's for sure.
yes I think rail services generally suffered after independence. It just lacked money in the 1990s.There were better connections between the Baltic states under the soviet rule than today.
There were better connections between the Baltic states under the soviet rule than today.
International rail services attract passengers when travelling time and distances are not too excessive, service frequency is reasonable, the links are between cities of reasonable size, and border crossings involve minimal hassle. They require active promotion by the railway administrations of all the states involved. Most of these criteria really don't apply in the Baltic states, although in theory the Tallinn-St Petersburg route could be speeded up and developed like that now running between Helsinki and St Petersburg.
Rail Baltica is a political vanity project funded by the EU and use of a different track gauge will complicate integration with existing rail services. Given that the existing railway administrations can't be bothered to run many services between the Baltic states themselves or to neighbouring states, why will Rail Baltica improve this?
That is the problem - only Riga is a major city, and the Baltic states (which had small populations anyway) have suffered massive depopulation since they joined the EU. They are too sparsely populated to justify high speed rail, and it is stupid building it to an non-standard gauge for these countries.major Baltic cities.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1863 | 1,240,988 | — |
1897 | 1,929,387 | +55.5% |
1914 | 2,552,000 | +32.3% |
1920 | 1,596,131 | −37.5% |
1925 | 1,844,805 | +15.6% |
1930 | 1,900,045 | +3.0% |
1935 | 1,950,936 | +2.7% |
1943 | 1,760,162 | −9.8% |
1950 | 1,943,146 | +10.4% |
1959 | 2,079,948 | +7.0% |
1970 | 2,351,903 | +13.1% |
1979 | 2,502,816 | +6.4% |
1989 | 2,666,567 | +6.5% |
2000 | 2,377,383 | −10.8% |
2011 | 2,070,371 | −12.9% |
2020 | 1,893,700 | −8.5% |
It is interesting to note that the greatest growth in Latvia's population was prior to 1914, and between 1944 and 1989, when it was under Russian control, and population decreases have occurred when it was under German hegemony, in the latter part of WW1, and from 1941 to 1944 when they butchered significant segments of the population, and since 1991 when it has been under German/EU influence.
The population of Riga is still declining: it has decreased by 30% in the last 30 years and is projected to fall by a further 40k by 2035.With the exception of Kaunas, however, the populations of the main places that will be connected by Rail Baltica are either rising or are not falling.
I feel I know what sort of places you're getting your political views from, and I feel I should encourage you to read more widely.When the Baltic states were linked with Russia, their port cities had a role as a link between Russia and the rest of Europe. With the imposition of the hard EU/NATO frontier on their eastern borders, the Baltic states have become fringe backwater regions, that naturally tend to depopulate. Finland, which is not part of NATO and has maintained reasonable relations with Russia, is not so affected. They might have been better off choosing the "Finland" option.
I am not going to comment on this political point, but merely re-iterate that in my previous post I referred to Finland, with which the Baltic states have much more in common (Estonia even has a very similar language and the same Lutheran religion), not the Ukraine.That would have put them in Ukraine's position. Remember they are not Slavic nations too.
Thriving states/regions do not depopulate. The Baltic states are places from which people with "get up and go" have "got up and gone". Other examples that spring to mind in this context are the upper parts of the South Wales valleys since the collapse of coal-mining/heavy industry, and the west of Ireland since the famine. In contrast with Latvia, the population of Finland increased from 4.0 million in 1950, to 5.0 million in 1990 and 5.5 million in 2020 (rounded to 1 dp).The Baltic states are thriving, and I'm sure Rail Baltic will be a happy and successful part of a happy successful exciting future.
Not wanting to start an off-topic discussion, but I think most people would agree that the Welsh Valleys would have been a lot worse off if it wasn't for their rail connections to Cardiff, and the decisions over the years to develop rather than abandoning them. There's good evidence that improving communications to a deprived area helps its recovery, and rail does this in the least unsustainable way.There may be Welsh Valleys within the Baltic States.
Not wanting to start an off-topic discussion, but I think most people would agree that the Welsh Valleys would have been a lot worse off if it wasn't for their rail connections to Cardiff, and the decisions over the years to develop rather than abandoning them. There's good evidence that improving communications to a deprived area helps its recovery, and rail does this in the least unsustainable way.