"Lithuania has been known since long ago as an attractive transit country. Nonetheless, convenient location is not enough to satisfy the increasing freight traffic and customer expectations. Lithuania has great opportunities to develop advanced logistics services; therefore, a more efficient use of the EU investments is significant," on Thursday at the Logistics and Transport Forum 2014 said Rimantas Sinkevicius, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania.
EU Transport policy envisages that at least 50% of road freight over 300 km is carried by rail or waterborne transport by 2050.
Lithuania has already responded to the directive by establishing intermodal terminals in Vilnius and Kaunas Public Logistic Centres (PLC). Approximately EUR 100 million (about LTL 345 million) to be invested in PLC shows that logistics is an important strategic priority.
Already at the end of 2015, European gauge railway line Rail Baltica will reach Kaunas. This project implemented in Kaunas intermodal terminal will allow to connect two different gauge railway systems and provide significant opportunities for transportation and logistics services.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania puts a lot of attention to the development and modernisation of multimodal transport infrastructure: almost EUR 1.6 billion (LTL 5.4 billion) of EU Structural Funds were allocated over the period of 2007-2013 whence the largest part i.e. 59% was invested in the road infrastructure.
In 2014, reconstruction of pan-European highways, construction of bypasses, and modernisation of infrastructure of the connecting line Klaipeda-Pagegiai were among the most important EU-funded projects.
Additionally, Klaipeda railway junction was developed, rail traffic control centre set up in Vilnius, passenger and cargo Central Klaipeda Terminal opened at the port of Klaipeda.
