Historic German rail Bridge Aids War-ravaged Ukraine

The convoy rolls slowly out of the center of Berlin, its eight vehicles tethered to a brilliant crimson locomotive. Destination: Ukraine, due to a historic “rail bridge” delivering humanitarian help to the besieged nation

Berlin, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – twenty sixth Mar, 2022 ) :The convoy rolls slowly out of the center of Berlin, its eight vehicles tethered to a brilliant crimson locomotive. Destination: Ukraine, due to a historic “rail bridge” delivering humanitarian help to the besieged nation.

Four days’ journey, greater than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) travelled and on the finish of the road, tonnes of meals and different necessities delivered to folks in want.

The operation of the Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German rail firm, echoes the well-known Allied airlift — often called the “air bridge” in German — through the Cold War to assist town of Berlin throughout a Soviet blockade.

“It only took four days” to arrange this cooperation with the Polish and Ukrainian railways which now permits this “rail bridge” to function usually, explains Sigrid Nikutta, head of DB Cargo, the freight service of the general public firm.

Every different night, a convoy leaves the German capital after having collected donations from corporations and people all through the nation, at devoted factors or immediately from producers and grocery store chains.

Pallets of child meals, packing containers of sanitary pads and tampons, small electrical home equipment, medical tools, flooring mattresses, blankets… the outpouring of generosity is so overwhelming that the containers refill quickly.

“Each container is a message to Ukrainians: ‘We aren’t leaving you on your own!’,” Nikutta says.

Among the DB employees, morale is excessive. Employees take convoys to Poland the place they then hand off to native drivers.

The containers should later be unloaded and transferred as a result of the width of the rails in Ukraine is totally different.

When the practice arrives in Ukraine, the nationwide railway takes over.

The unfailing dedication of the staff of the Ukrainian nationwide firm to move meals and refugees from one finish of the nation to the opposite has earned the admiration of their colleagues to the west.

“They have my respect but also my concern because we all know that this is dangerous,” Nikutta says.

However the dangers for the “rail bridge” are restricted, says DB Cargo spokesman Michael Schmidt.

“We do not transport weapons, no oil”, he stresses, noting that because the begin of the Russian offensive, assaults on the Ukrainian rail community have been uncommon as a result of “the Russians need to keep this infrastructure in good condition”.

All the convoys, despatched to numerous Ukrainian cities and cities, have to date arrived safely, Nikutta says with satisfaction.

She even obtained {a photograph} of the arrival of the containers in Kyiv despatched by the mayor of the capital, the charismatic ex-boxer Vitali Klitschko.

“Many Ukrainians feel today, after four long weeks of war, what the Berliners felt at the time of the blockade by the Soviets” in 1948-1949, says the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, who attended the departure of a convoy this week.

“Without the enormous effort of the Allies at the time, what would this beautiful city have become?” he asks.

“We now need other solid bridges, including political ones, and the most important would be a prospect of EU membership for Ukraine”, says the ambassador, giving the beginning sign to the locomotive stamped with the slogan “We stand with Ukraine”.

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