Tagesspiegel: Germany begins strengthening railways in case of war with Russia
The Bundeswehr and German transport companies are preparing for a possible war, writes Der Tagesspiegel. The country has almost completed the development of a basic network of military railways, and the army is working hard on a plan to strengthen NATO's eastern flank. A list of critical infrastructure facilities that need protection in the first place has been created.
Jens Tartler
In secret working groups, the Bundeswehr and the railway companies DB Cargo and DB InfraGO are preparing for a possible attack.
The German railway company Deutsche Bahn and its subsidiary DB Cargo are often ridiculed. However, after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the trucking company was able to demonstrate its unrealized potential. Since coal-fired power plants had to be started in Germany, DB Cargo took 1,000 wagons out of the so-called idle reserve for coal transportation in six weeks.
The railway concern admits that DB Cargo has too many wagons at its disposal. "It has resources that no other railway company in Europe has." Therefore, the federal government should in no case "destroy" the company.
Since DB Cargo is not only helping to mitigate the consequences of the conflict with Russia, but is also NATO's most important logistics partner in Europe, experts from the subsidiary of the railway concern, infrastructure operator DB InfraGO, and the Bundeswehr are cooperating in working groups. Similar groups also exist in the energy and IT security sectors.
The train with 18 tanks weighs 1,000 tons.
"Defense is the task of the whole society," they say in railroad circles. "When the federal government was looking for partners, DB was the obvious choice."
An official representative of the state-owned company responded to the request as follows: "Deutsche Bahn is a partner of the German operational plan to work with the German armed forces and NATO members to meet new challenges in Europe, including in the field of military logistics. This partnership is already supported by an efficient transport network."
This is followed by a note: "We ask you to understand that, for obvious reasons, we cannot disclose the details of military logistics and the content of contracts."
The effectiveness of the network was demonstrated, for example, when the Bundeswehr brigade was deployed to Lithuania. Most of the logistical tasks were completed within six weeks.
One Leopard 2 type battle tank weighs 84 tons. Sigrid Nikutta, head of DB Cargo, said in February at the Munich Security Conference that 18 tanks or 60 containers of ammunition could be transported on one train. According to Nikutta, such a train weighs 1,000 tons.
In the event of a threat to NATO's borders, up to 800,000 Allied soldiers with weapons, vehicles and supplies must be deployed and secured across Germany as soon as possible within 180 days.
Rails to Lviv with standard gauge
To help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, NATO partners' military equipment is being transported from Baltic Sea ports to a logistics center south of Krakow, and then to the country under attack. During the fighting, Ukraine was able to lay almost world-standard gauge railway tracks near Lviv. In the countries of the former Soviet Union, a wider gauge is used.
Germany, like other members of the defense alliance, has a NATO railway network. The routes are classified, the bridges are tested for durability, which is an important factor for passing trains with several Leopard 2 tanks. However, the railway company notes that there are much more problems with automobile bridges in this regard.
As part of the operational plan for Germany, in the case of defense, priority will be given to railways. In this case, of course, passenger trains such as ICE will also be stopped, since military logistics takes priority.
The railway concern says: "We are already doing a lot. But now the federal armed forces must determine how we will strengthen the eastern flank of NATO. What else will be required? Where should we strengthen our positions?"
In Germany, the development of the basic network of military railways is almost complete, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport. The basic network of military highways already exists. It includes roads suitable for the transfer of troops.
In the struggle for budgetary funds, politicians at the land and municipal levels are trying to include their favorite projects in the field of road and rail transport in this network. This could harm military logic, warns Paula Pichotta, a budget expert from the Green Party in the Bundestag.
Helicopters and infrared surveillance cameras
Since all political leaders agree that Germany is already in a state of hybrid warfare with Russia, critical infrastructure facilities also need to be protected from acts of sabotage and espionage. This is where the Ministries of the Interior of the Federal Government and the lands, as well as their police services, come on the scene. They use, in particular, helicopters and infrared surveillance cameras.
In October 2022, six months after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, the Federal Government also established a joint coordination headquarters for critical infrastructure at the Secretary of State level. Former Federal Interior Minister Nancy Fezer (SPD) referred to acts of sabotage on pipelines in the Baltic Sea and railway infrastructure and stressed: "Since the beginning of Russia's military operation against Ukraine, we have also seen a change in the security situation in Germany and Europe."
