Rusty 60 years: The EU restores the Iron Rhine track to roll off troops and weapons (Photo)

The railway paths connected the Antwerp ports with the German Ruhr region. Part of the railway was also used in peacetime. But after the invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, policies of several countries talked about the restoration of the railway to be able to transport military cargo faster, the article is said. The media explained that negotiations between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany were underway to restore the Iron Rhine.

One of the reasons for this interest is "raising military mobility in response to the growing Russian threat", led the Politico words of officials. Due to the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, existing railway tracks cannot cope with the flow of military equipment and weapons, and this "operates countries on nerves". It turned out that Belgium was interested in the restoration of the railway track. In this case, the Netherlands and Germany are based.

The Netherlands - because of commercial issues, Germany - because of environmental problems. Politico wrote that resistance would probably be reduced as the EU plans to allocate 17 billion euros for a military mobility program. Photos of a rail fragment that rusted 60 years were posted on the portal. We see that the terrain is overgrown with trees and grass: it should be cleared and tidied. Meanwhile, you can find information about the Iron Rhine, which was built in the 19th century.

The track connects the Aachen Railway Station in Germany with Antwerp (Belgium): another 50 intermediate stations between them, some of them are located in the Netherlands. The estimated length is 123 km. Belgium tried to start recovery in 2004, but at that time nothing was done, and the tracks, which were important for communicating with German Ruhrus, were not affected, told Railaccess on the portal.

In addition, the portal contained a scheme of railways: we see that there is an alternative path of 211 km long. It is also indicated that the cost of partial recovery is 40 million euros. It should be noted that the focus wrote about the peculiarities of the use of railways in the Russian Federation and the fact that they regularly fall under the shocks of the Armed Forces.

On July 29, Tatarigamiua OSINT analytics noted that in the summer of 2025, Ukrainians began to systematically harm the Russian railway routes that were brought to the front by soldiers of weapons and military equipment. At the same time, the study of The Financial Times appeared, which refers to logistics from the Far East of the Russian Federation to the European part: railroads go to the DPRK and other means of damage.