“Rail Baltica is one of the most important strategic projects in Europe that we are accelerating and seek to implement as soon as possible. The modern and eco-friendly high-speed railway connection, which will connect Kaunas and Vilnius, will provide the people living in the capital and the surrounding areas with more possibilities to travel, and local businesses will have a convenient and safe alternative for freight transportation. Once the Rail Baltica railway is constructed, Kaunas will be accessible from Vilnius by train within 38 minutes,” says Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Loreta Maskaliovienė.
Society can familiarise with the development alternatives set out in the Engineering Infrastructure Development Plan (EIDP) and the report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the TPDRIS information system (http://www.tpdris.lt/lt_LT/web/guest/sarasas, TPD No. S-NC-00-19-10), Web GIS online space (https://tiny.cc/rbaltica), head office of the organiser of planning, website of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (https://sumin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/projekto-rail-baltica-gelezinkelio-linijos-kaunas-vilnius-susisiekimo-komunikaciju-inzinerines-infrastrukturos-vystymo-planas), and website of the originator of the SEA documents (https://www.sweco.lt/pranesimai/svarbus-pranesimai/rail-baltica-gelezinkelio-linijos-koncepcija/).
Before public presentation of the EIDP and SEA documentation of the Kaunas–Vilnius railway line, society and interested organisations will be able to submit their remarks and suggestions, which will be analysed during the deliberation of the submitted documents.
“According to the current procedure, everyone is provided with the possibility not only to familiarise, but also participate in the initial phase of the projects, while the territorial planning process is ongoing, to submit reasoned suggestions that could have influence in decision-making. We are looking forward to the involvement of society and the interested communities in the process to be able to prepare a project that meets as many expectations as possible. It is also very important to provide all the suggestions in time because the sooner we implement the project, the faster everyone will be able to enjoy its benefits,” says Karolis Sankovski, CEO of LTG Infra, which is in charge of the Rail Baltica implementation in Lithuania.
A new optimal route for the Rail Baltica railway had to be established because the currently operated railway between Vilnius and Kaunas does not meet the requirements of Rail Baltica for train speed due to its geometry. In total, Sweco Lietuva, which is implementing the project, prepared four alternative routes that the Rail Baltica railway could take from Vilnius to Kaunas. The most optimal alternative was chosen to best meet the communication needs and have the least impact on the environment.
Rail Baltica is a greenfield rail transport infrastructure project with a goal to integrate the Baltic States in the European rail network. 870 km of high-speed double-track electrified railway with 249 km/h speed trains is to cross Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The width of the new railway line will be 1435 mm, its route will be Tallinn–Pärnu–Riga–Panevėžys–Kaunas–the Lithuania–Poland border and the connection Kaunas–Vilnius.
