Belarus - General Information: Difference between revisions

From EGTRE
Jump to navigationJump to search
Line 35: Line 35:


===Web-based Maps===
===Web-based Maps===
*Thorsten Büker's [http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/maps_belarus.php Map of Belarus]
*Thorsten Büker's [http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/maps_belarus.php Map of Belarus] - dating from October 2008.


==Gauge==
==Gauge==

Revision as of 12:25, 9 January 2018

Country Name

Belarus (officially The Republic of Belarus) (Беларусь)

National railway system

  • Belarusian: BČ - Belaruskaja Čyhunka / БЧ - Беларуская Чыгунка
  • Russian: BŽD - Belorusskaja Železnaja Doroga / БЖД - Белорусская Железная Дорога

Official Website

http://www.rw.by/ (in Russian)

Language

Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. However, all station names are exclusively in Belarusian, apart from a few large stations which are bilingual - Russian or Łacinka, Belarusian rendered in the Latin alphabet.

Currency

Belarusian ruble (BYR).

UIC code

numeric 21; alpha BLR.

Timetable

Journey Planner

Train timetable

Downloadable Timetable

None.

Printed Timetable

None.

Engineering Information

None.

Maps

Printed Maps

Web-based Maps

Gauge

"Russian" gauge (1520mm)

Electrification

25kV 50Hz, except for the cross-border Brest - Terespol and Grodno - Kuźnica Białostocka lines to Poland, which are 3 kV DC.

Rule of the road

Right.

Other railways

None.

Tourist lines

The narrow gauge K.S. Zaslonov Children's Railway is located in Chelyuskinites Park in Minsk.

Metro

Minsk.

Trams

Minsk, Vicebsk [Russian: Vitebsk], Mazyr, Novopolotsk.

Recent and future changes

Electrification of the 72km line from Molodechno to Kena in Lithuania was completed in Autumn 2017 and a through electric passenger service commenced on 10 December 2017.

The new 'Strizh' Moskva - Berlin Talgo service started operation on 17 December 2016. It uses a new Talgo gauge-changer at Brest station, which has reduced considerably the time taken to change gauge.

Electric Services between Minsk and Homel commenced on 17 June 2016. The scheme allegedly also included the branch off it from Zhlobin to Kalinkavichy so information if this is also completed would be appreciated by the Compilers.

A cross-border service between Grodno/Гродна and Kuźnica Białostocka (Poland) was reinstated from 4 Sept 2016, with a Kraków <> Grodno portion of the Krakow <> Mockava (Lithuania) train. Local services were discontinued at the December 2015 timetable change as they were to be replaced by PKP IC services between Warszawa and Grodno, which never ran owing to funding issues.

One train each way between Grodno/Гродна and Vilnius at weekends only was reintroduced on 6 June 2015, reopening the Benjakonī/Беняконі - Stasylos (Lithuania) border crossing, but withdrawn after 8 November.

Special Notes

None.

See also