A couple of interesting European military mobility developments took place in recent days. The overall trend points to deepening cooperation in military transportation on the railways, especially on the North Sea-Baltic corridor.
One of the developments concerns a joint declaration on the North Sea – Baltic Corridor. At the initiative of the Netherlands, the declaration now explicitly mentions military transports.
“Good news for a militarily stronger Europe”, wrote the Dutch infrastructure state secretary Annet Bertram on LinkedIn. “All nine member states that are members of the ‘North Sea Baltic’, a rail freight corridor that runs from the North Sea ports to the Baltic states, have signed a new ‘joint declaration’. This is about cooperation and improvement of rail transport along this connection.”
Military mobility has been added to this declaration – meaning that “Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden want to work more closely together in the field of military transport”, says Bertram. “This allows military trains to run quickly and unhindered on this connection if necessary. The need for this is great, given the current geopolitical situation.”
Experts on military mobility from the involved countries have also spoken to each other, allowing for more far-reaching collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The Netherlands places great importance on international coordination for military purposes, highlights the state secretary. “For example, these transports on the railways must be given priority if they are urgent, to prevent a train with tanks, for example, from being forced to wait until there is space. Rail yards are also being adapted to make them more suitable for military trains.”
Dutch Defence deals with Deutsche Bahn
Simultaneously, the Dutch Ministry of Defence has concluded a military mobility deal with Deutsche Bahn, RailFreight.com’s sister publication SpoorPro reports. As part of the agreement, the Ministry recently acquired two wagons for personnel travelling with military transports to secure and inspect them.
For military rail transport, dedicated military escort wagons are provided for personnel who travel alongside to secure the cargo. These carriages offer basic amenities, including seating areas and a restaurant.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence states that these wagons are suitable for use across Europe. They can be made available for military transport within ten days, after which they are transported by locomotive to the required location.
LTG Cargo gets NATO greenlight
On the other end of the North Sea – Baltic Corridor, the Lithuanian rail freight operator LTG Cargo is now permitted to participate directly as a supplier in NATO procurement procedures.
“LTG Cargo has been a trusted logistics partner to NATO allies for nearly a decade, but until now we have carried out shipments through cooperation with other European carriers”, explained Eglė Šimė, CEO of LTG Cargo. “From now on, we have the opportunity to work directly to support military mobility.”
“Over the past four years, we have increased the volume of military trains we transport by as much as 70 percent. We possess specific expertise and experience and are ready to strengthen our participation in allied rotations to help ensure the security of the entire region”, Šimė continued.
Want to know more about LTG Cargo’s role in military mobility? Check out our podcast with Laimonas Nekrošius, CEO of LTG Cargo Polska on their military operations.