Railroads in defense of Europe
- Paweł Konzal
- May 5
- 3 min read
The success of political and economic systems depends, among other things, on the ability to solve new problems in a way that takes into account a country's circumstances. The need to strengthen European defense is a test of whether, as Europe, we are able to go beyond duplicating American concepts, stemming from US characteristics and geopolitical positioning different from the EU. Creativity, intellectual and political agility and agility are muscles that require constant gymnastics. In building the European Defense Alliance, which I wrote about in September 2023, we must go beyond imitation.
Strengthening European defense is a necessity on which there is widespread and rare consensus - both among member countries and within each of them. Europe has obvious deficiencies in its defense systems - satellite intelligence, long-range missiles, or cyber capabilities are just a few areas where we need to build our own capabilities. The first reaction is often to want to imitate one-to-one solutions from across the Atlantic. This is a flawed assumption, as demonstrated by the area of transportation, in which we are fully dependent on the U.S. Air Force to relocate tanks and heavy equipment.
The largest U.S. transport plane, the Boeing C-17, carries 77 tons at a time - a little more than one Leopard or Abrams tank. Europe has only 11 such aircraft. Europe's more popular Airbus A400M can carry less than half the load of the C-17 - so not even one tank. Hence the aforementioned inability to move heavy equipment without US assistance.
Air transport is justified in the case of activity - in many theaters of warfare - of a power fenced off from the rest of the world by two oceans. Such is the position and location of the US, hence the developed model of moving heavy equipment by air. Sea transport, useful for long-term support, would take up too much time in the need for rapid defense and relief. However, Europe is a compact continent focused on its own defense, with no offensive operations in other parts of the world. So is heavy air transport the only and most suitable option for our needs?
Rail offers a potential gap-filler for heavy transport. Cargo depots in Europe carry 1700-2400 tons at speeds of 70-100 km/h. Current locomotives on the market can pull up to 2,000 tons at high, for cargo, speeds of 160 km/h. Thus, one train set could deliver a load equivalent to 25-30 C-17 transport planes to Poland's eastern border from any corner of France, Germany or Italy in a day.
Investment in rail transportation would bring military as well as economic and environmental benefits. It is an example of dual-use infrastructure (military and civilian) par excellence. First, railroads enable the rapid transport of huge cargoes (including the heaviest military equipment) on a continental scale - the most powerful locomotives in the US and China carry 3,000-12,000 tons.
Secondly, this infrastructure can be used in peacetime to transport products more cleanly and more cheaply than road transport. The example of Switzerland shows what can be achieved, despite the mountainous terrain in many parts of the country: 37% of freight transport and more than 70% of transit is carried out by 100% electrified rail.
Third, the extensive development of rail infrastructure would help counteract the transportation exclusion of more and more areas, and the consequent depopulation of more parts of the country.
Unfortunately, Polish plans in this regard are extremely modest. The lack of ambition is a continuation of Poland's railroad's slide - over the past 35 years, the length of active lines has decreased from 26,000 to 19,000 kilometers. The current geopolitical, economic and environmental situation should encourage us to seize the moment and reverse this trend. We can redesign our future. Let's have courage in our imagination.
