Russian Railways restricts the direction of Belarusian Railway trains to the Kursk region

According to our sources, the central management of Russian Railways (RZD) sent a telegram to the Belarusian Railway (BZD) instructing the cessation of freight train dispatches from all BZD stations to the stations of the Oryol-Kursk branch of the Moscow Railway (a division of RZD) as of August 12, 2024.

Notably, the received telegram indicates that the suspension of train acceptance from BZD in this direction is not limited by a specific timeframe and is marked “until further notice.” This decision effectively halts rail traffic from Belarus to the stations in the specified region of Russia for an unknown and potentially indefinite period.

It is important to note that this decision by RZD comes amid ongoing military events in the Kursk region, including the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their control over Russian territories, as well as statements by Russian authorities regarding their “successes.”

In addition to the events described above, there has been a significant accumulation of “abandoned” trains* (coded as 12 – lack of a locomotive) at stations in the Smolensk region of the Moscow Railway. This situation is also disrupting the regular dispatch of freight trains from the Belarusian Railway (BZD) towards the Moscow Railway (MZD) and is causing schedule delays.

Yesterday, on August 13, 2024, relevant phone calls were made from the traffic management department of the Moscow Railway to the leadership of the Belarusian Railway, with verbal requests to find ways to avoid sending trains in the direction of the Smolensk region (via the Osinovka (BZD) – Krasnoye (RZD) international junction point).

For reference: According to the agreement between the Belarusian Railway (BZD) and Russian Railways (RZD), BZD locomotives and locomotive crews handle freight traffic from the Osinovka (BZD) – Krasnoye (RZD) international junction point to the Smolensk station (MZD).

RZD has explained the situation of station congestion in the Smolensk region with “abandoned” trains as being due to a “lack of traction”—specifically, a shortage of necessary locomotives (mainline diesel and electric locomotives) and locomotive crews to manage the removal of the trains.

The ongoing shortage of locomotives and locomotive crews at Russian Railways (RZD) has persisted for quite some time, becoming particularly acute since 2023. The reasons include poor-quality repairs, a lack of spare parts, and the general disinterest of workers due to low wages. However, these issues are only tangentially related to the current situation.

Our sources indicate that the lack of traction in the described scenario is primarily due to large-scale troop movements by Russian authorities towards the Kursk region and the redeployment of a significant portion of the Moscow Railway’s freight locomotive fleet to facilitate military transport from central Russia.

Some sources also report that this concentration of armed forces is taking place from virtually all regions, even those that are logistically challenging or distant.

It is evident that such movements will heavily rely on the railway network.

At this time, it is unclear what role the Belarusian Railway (BZD) is playing in these operations.

We will continue to monitor the situation.

Community of Railway Workers of Belarus

Tags: Belarus kursk kursk operation Russia russia ukraine war Ukraine ukrainecounteroffensive