Study on the Compliance of the Baltic State Railways to NATO Needs

Abstract

The density of railways in the NATO countries of the Baltic region is analyzed in this article. According to the author, the density of railways must be assessed not only in terms of the area of the country, but also in terms of the number of inhabitants and the GDP of the country. The methodology proposed by the author is described for such an assessment. First, the cumulative density of the railways of 1520 mm and 1435 mm is analyzed, then the density of the railways of 1435 mm, which is relevant in accordance with the requirements of NATO technical documents. The results of the study show that the low total density of the railways of 1520 mm and 1435 mm in terms of area is usually justified by the low socio-economic potential of the country. However, the gap with a low density of 1435 mm does not justify this argument.