Libau–Romny RailwayRailway in current Lithuanian rail system
Libau–Romny Railway was a railway company that built a railway line in the Russian Empire in 1871–74 to connect Romny in Ukraine with the port in Libau (Liepāja) in present-day Latvia. To do so it passed through Minsk The objective of the railway was to deliver Ukrainian exports, particularly grain, to the Baltic Sea where it could be further shipped.
History
In 1856 a concession to build the railway was granted to the main Russian railway company (Главное общество российских железных дорог), but it failed to gather the required authorised capital. Afterwards the concession was granted to the Libau-Romny railway company which was founded by businessmen who were interested in exporting Ukrainian grain. The company was headed by engineer baron Karl Otto Georg von Meck. Design works started in 1869. On 15 December 1971 the state finished and approved the design, the new railway line was supposed to cross the Courland, Kaunas, Vilnius, Minsk, Mogilev and Chernihiv governorates.
The railway was built in sections:
The railway lay at right angles to the German axes of advance in both world wars. In the First World War the portion west of Smorgon (now Smarhon') fell into German hands in the great Austro-German advance of May–September 1915, the rest following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. It remained in German hands until the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and upon German evacuation was nationalized as part of the Western Railways.
In the Second World War the line fell into German hands between 22 June and late September 1941.[1] The Gomel-Bakhmach-Romny portion was recovered by Soviet forces in September–December 1943;[2] the remainder was recovered from German hands in June–August 1944 and January–May 1945.
Today the railway is located in four countries, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. Operation of the portion between the Baltic Sea and Mažeikiai was discontinued in 1990.
References
^Keegan, John, Rundstedt (New York: Ballantine Books, 1974), pp. 116-117 (map)
^Jukes, Geoffrey, Kursk: The Clash of Armour (New York: Ballantine Books, 1969), p. 140 (map)