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B a l t i c s a n d F i n l a n d
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Express Moscow - Pskov - Tallinn and (left) "Estonia" Moscow - Narva - Tallinn, Moscow Leningrad station, May 1986 (WS)
With the end of the Soviet Union, Lituania, Latvia and Estonia became independent, from 1992 with separate railway administrations for its broad gauge network. The St. Petersburg-Express Berlin - St. Petersburg and the Yantar from Moscow to Kaliningrad, formerly German Koenigsberg, continued to run via Lithuania. After the Kaliningrad district had been opened to tourists, the Koenigsberg-Express, a special with ex-GDR government cars, had regular runs from Berlin on the “strategic” standard gauge until 1995. Even the Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express appeared in the former Koenigsberg. The yellow/blue Balti-Express from 1993 should have connected Tallinn, Estonia, with Warsaw or even Berlin via Sestokai, thus avoiding Belarus. But then all trains from Tallinn to neighboring Latvia were stopped, reportedly by “privatization”.A direct train Warsaw - Vilnius via Sestokai with automatic change of gauge ran only for a short period. After the Baltics had joined the EU in 2004, the Rail Baltica project for a standard gauge high-speed line Tallinn - Warsaw optimistically was published - and even the unrealistic dream of a railway tunnel between Finland and Tallinn! Latviya Riga - Moscow R., departure Riga, April 1992:
All cars LGDz, blue/yellow, only "Livoniya Serviss" dark blue, "Livoniya" maroon/cream/black/red line, locomotive orange/cream/brown. Moscow - Tallinn Train 176 Moscow - Bologoye - Pskov - Tallinn, departure Moscow Len. May 9, 1986: ChS2T (3kV dc), 1 postal van, many Mest36 and hard cars (couchettes without compartments). Colors: Locomotive dark-red, van green, other cars blue/light-blue. Train Estonia Moscow - Narva - Tallinn had a similar consist. Later Eesti Raudtee used red TEP70 diesels on the Tallinn - Narva - Moscow train. Yantar Moscow - Minsk - Vilnius - Kaliningrad, Mest36, Mest18, hard cars and diner, traction in Kaliningrad district later by TEP70 diesels. Traditionally light-blue/yellow cars. Specials East Germany or the GDR had two modern state trains with sleepers, saloons and diners in the style of conference rooms, one train for the government and one for the military. As the rulers preferred flying, the government train came only a few times to Moscow on so-called test runs. Once however it brought a delegation to the KSZE conference at Helsinki, via USSR, with change of bogies at Brest. After liberation that consist became the tourist train Koenigsberg-Express. A surprise in 2004 was the contract for a once-weekly Talgo tourist train Berlin - Kaliningrad - Vilnius - Riga - Tallinn - St. Petersburg. It was planned to refurbish existing German Talgo cars for a train consisting of 20 articulated sleepers with two-berth compartments, en-suite facilities, a bar car, a restaurant car and some saloons. The announced departure in August 2005 however was "delayed". In the meantime the nostalgic "Classic Courier", consisting of black refurbished day coaches, made tourist trips from Berlin to the former Koenigsberg.
Finland A train ferry Estonia -Finland, proposed between the wars, never was introduced. After the "winter war" from 1940, Soviet military trains Leningrad - Hanko started, from 1944 Leningrad - Porkkala. In 1954 the express Helsinki - Moscow (later baptized "Tolstoi") followed, from 1970 to 1976 also Turku-Moscow, with sleepers by SZD, during steam-age in Finland hauled by Tr-1 (2-8-2). A day train St. Petersburg - Helsinki is the "Repin" with blue/pastel colored Russian cars. Finland intended to use its semi-high speed tilting units SM200 for Helsinki - St. Petersburg services, but reportedly Russia refused. In 2005 Finland got twin-deck sleeping-cars from Talgo for domestic services, expected also for services to Russia.
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