| Rail transport in Lithuania | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Train near Vilnius | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (LTG) | ||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Ridership | 5.5 million (2019)[1] | ||||
| Passenger km | 359 million (2019)[2] | ||||
| Freight | 16,181 milliontkm (2019)[2] | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 1,910 km (1,190 mi) | ||||
| Double track | 459 km (285 mi)[3] | ||||
| Electrified | 156 km (97 mi)[3] | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| 1520 mm | 1,745.8 km (1,084.8 mi) | ||||
| 1435 mm | 123 km (76 mi) | ||||
| 750 mm | 68.4 km (42.5 mi) | ||||
| Electrification | |||||
| Main | 25 kV AC, 50 Hz | ||||
| Features | |||||
| Longest tunnel | Kaunas Railway Tunnel, 1,285 m (4,216 ft) | ||||
| No. bridges | 410[4] | ||||
| Longest bridge | Lyduvėnai Bridge, 599 m (1,965 ft)[5] | ||||
| No. stations | 104[4] (or 164 if including all stops)[3] | ||||
| |||||
Rail transport in Lithuania consists offreight shipments andpassenger services. The construction of the first railway line inLithuania began in 1859. As of 2021[update], the total length of railways in Lithuania was 1,868.8 km (1,161.2 mi).LTG Group (Lietuvos Geležinkeliai), the national state-owned railway company, operates most of the country's passenger and freight services via its subsidiariesLTG Link (passenger) andLTG Cargo (freight).
The country has a mixedgauge network: the majority isbroad gauge (a legacy of the Russian standard) with new lines often usingstandard gauge ordual gauge track. In 2020, Lithuania together with the otherBaltic states began construction of theRail Balticahigh-speed rail with operating speed of 249 km/h for the passenger trains. The project marks a new era for Lithuanian railways and is expected to be completed by 2030.
Lithuania is a member of theIntergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) andInternational Union of Railways (UIC). TheUIC Country Code for Lithuania is 24. As anEU member, the country participates in theEuropean Union Agency for Railways. It is also a member ofInterrail andEurail. Lithuania was ranked 16th among national European rail systems in the European Railway Performance Index 2017 assessing intensity of use, quality of service and safety.[6]
In 1851, the government of theRussian Empire decided to build theSaint Petersburg–Warsaw railway.[7] The construction of the railway in Lithuania began in 1859 and the line includedDaugavpils–Vilnius–Grodno andLentvaris–Kaunas–Virbalis sections which were completed in 1862.[7] The first train arrived fromDaugavpils (inLatvia) to Vilnius on 17 September 1860.[4] However, the first commercial operation began between Kaunas temporary station on the left bank of the riverNemunas andEydtkuhnen inEast Prussia on 11 April 1861. Initially, there were 21 Lithuanian stations.[7] Building of the railway required different engineering solutions, including the construction ofKaunas Railway Tunnel andPaneriai Tunnel.[8] The greatest expansion of the railway happened during 1857–1914 when nearly two thirds of the network, used at the end of 20th century, was constructed.[4] The railway construction had a significant impact to the economic development of the region.[9]
When theImperial German Army occupied Lithuania in 1915, the railway became the main way to supply food and ammunition for the German army.[9] During this time, Germans replaced a lot of the 1524 mm gauge railways track with the1435 mm standard gauge.[8] In various parts of the country, the German army also constructed600 mm gauge tracks.[8] Lithuanian independence wasrestored in 1918 and the Lithuanian government concluded an agreement withGermany on 4 July 1919 on the handover of the railway assets to theMinistry of Transport.[8] During the years afterWorld War I, Lithuanian Railways reconstructed the tracks, connecting them into a complete network. In 1923 theKlaipėda region was reunited with Lithuania and the port ofKlaipėda became a part of the Lithuanian railway system.[9] Theinterwar period was marked by the expansion of the narrow gauge railways which contributed to the economic development of therural areas, especially in the north-eastern Lithuania.[9]
In 1940, following theSoviet occupation, railway activities were reorganized and all agreements concluded by Lithuania with neighbouring countries terminated. Sovietschanged most of the network from the standard gauge to broad gauge.[7] The railway gauge was again changed by Nazi occupying force in 1941 and then once again changed back by the Soviets in 1944.[7] After theWorld War II, the railway network required significant repairs. The Soviets also replaced a lot of the narrow gauge railway with the broad gauge and, in fact, completely dismantled 400 kilometres (250 mi) of it.[9][4] During the Soviet occupation all railways in theBaltic states were managed fromRiga.[7] The first electric train began service on 29 December 1975 after the electrification of theVilnius–Kaunas line.[7]
Following theindependence restoration in 1991, Lithuania restored its membership in international rail transport organizations, established national railway companyLietuvos geležinkeliai AB and began gradual modernization of its railway network. In 2000s, that included speed improvements (up to 160 km/h — passenger trains, 120 km/h — freight trains), modern communication and safety systems (GSM-R andERTMS), new trains and locomotives (manufactured bySiemens AG,Pesa,Škoda).[7] In 2020, the construction of the high-speedRail Baltica began.
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In late 19th and early 20th centuries, some Lithuanian cities used thewagonways i.e.trams pulled by horses which were colloquially called "konkė".[10]Kaunas had one wagonway line from 1892 until 1929.[11]Vilnius had three wagonway lines from 1893 to 1925 using themetre-gauge railway.[10] The wagonways lost popularity due to the emergence of buses and cars. Vilnius, however, briefly had a diesel tramway with a sole line between 1924 and 1926[10] and Kaunas had a narrow gauge passenger line of steam tramway, calledkukushka before 1935.[12] During the interwar period there were plans to revive electric tramways both in Vilnius and Kaunas, but they never materialized.Klaipėda, on the other hand, had an electric tramway with 2 active lines from 1904 to 1934.[13] It was revived again in 1950 but due to the lack of popularity closed in 1967.[14] In 2024 a public transport feasibility study took place in Kaunas which concluded that a tramway would be suitable for the city.[15]
National state-owned railway companyLietuvos Geležinkeliai (LTG) provides most of the rail services through its subsidiary companies:LTG Link provides passenger services, while LTG Cargo provides freight service.[16] Another subsidiary, LTG Infra, is responsible for the maintenance and development of the infrastructure.
| Passenger and freight rail transport statistics[4][1][17] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Passenger km (in mln) | 815 | 1,268 | 2,093 | 3,199 | 3,640 | 611 | 373 | 260 | 301 | 432 |
| Freighttkm (inbln) | 2.1 | 6.8 | 13.5 | 18.2 | 19.2 | 8.9 | 13.4 | 15.9 | 14.6 | 7.4 |
Main lines:
International lines:
The old fleet of passenger trains included theER9M electric train;D1,DR1A/DR1AM and AR2 diesel multiple units; TEP60/TEP70/TEP70BS andM62/2M62/2M62U diesel locomotives.[22] Some are still in service, but the vast majority are retired.
As of 2021[update], the main passenger train models includeŠkoda EJ575 (electric) and diesel Pesa 620M/630M/730ML as well as someRA2 trains. A public procurement was launched in 2021 to replace all diesel passenger trains with a fleet of new electric trains.[16] In 2023, LTG Link signed a contract with the SwissStadler Rail company for a delivery of 15 newStadler FLIRT electric and battery-electric trains.[23] The contract also provides an option for another 39 trains.[23] The first train was delivered in late 2025.[24]
As of 2021[update], Lithuania has threeintermodal terminals:[25]
LTG Cargo company provides freighttransportation corridors for or between the following regions:
LTG Cargo primarily usesSiemens ER20 "Eurorunner" locomotives for the freight trains.[35]
As of 2021[update], there is a total of 1,910 km (1,190 mi) of railways:[3]
Length by track gauge:[3]
Line betweenMockava andŠeštokai usesdual gauge supporting both the broad and standard gauge.[3]
Lithuania uses25 kV 50 Hz AC for the electrified railway lines.[36] This will remain compatible with the technical requirements for theRail Baltica high-speed rail. The electrification was first implemented in 1975 for the Vilnius–Kaunas line.[7] This was followed by the electrification of Vilnius–Naujoji Vilnia, Vilnius–Trakai lines and, since 2017, Vilnius–Minsk line.[37]
As of 2021[update], only 10% of the railways in Lithuania are electrified, but major electrification projects are in progress with the intention of achieving 50%.[38] In 2019, a joint consortium of Spanish companies Elecnor andAbengoa was awarded a contract to carry out electrification of 730 km (450 mi) of railway.[39] In October 2022, a contract was awarded toABB to supply 25kVAC electrification system.[40] It primarily includes the electrification of the Vilnius–Klaipėda line and a bypass rail around Vilnius. In 2020, LTG set itself a long-term goal of achieving zeroCO2 emissions by 2030.[16] In 2021, LTG Link announced the public procurement to acquire 30 electric trains in order to replace the existing diesel fleet.[41] In June 2023, LTG Link ordered 15FLIRT multiple-units and plans to procure up to 13 additional Flirt inter-cityEMUs, 15battery-electric Flirt trains with a 100km range and 11 battery-electric Flirt multiple-units with a 70km range.[42]
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Lithuania has anarrow gauge line of750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) first constructed in 1891.[43] It was built as a cheaper alternative to the wider gauge railway.[8] In 1996, the narrow gauge railway was declared aheritage railway and, in 2003, thePanevėžys–Anykščiai–Rubikiai line was included into the national list ofpreservedcultural heritages.[44] The total length of the preserved railway is 179 km (111 mi).[43] Today, the active part of the railway is 68.4 km (42.5 mi), making it one of the longest narrow gauge lines in Europe.[45]
In 2001,Aukštaitija narrow gauge railway was established as a separate company (independent from the Lithuanian Railways) to manage the narrow gauge railway.[43] It primarily runs services for tourism and entertainment.[43] It operates tourist trains ran by theTU2 diesel locomotives.[46]
Rail Baltica is an ongoinggreenfield railway infrastructure project that will link allBaltic states, including Lithuania, Poland and, eventually, Finland. Being a part of theTrans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), it is a priority project of the European Union.[47] It will introducestandard-gaugehigh-speed rail with an operating speed of 249 km/h for passenger trains.[47] As of 2023, project completion is scheduled for 2030, with a start of services on some sections in 2028.[48]
In Lithuania, 392 km (244 mi) of new track will be constructed, including reconstruction of theVilnius–Kaunas Railway to support standard gauge.[49] High speed rail will reduce the Vilnius–Kaunas route time to 38 minutes.[18] At project completion, the following routes will become available or faster (with projected travel times):[18]
As of 2021[update], the project is in progress with major construction ongoing in Lithuania. The standard gauge line between the Polish border and Kaunas has been built, with freight services already operating between Germany andKaunas Intermodal Terminal as well as passenger train service between Kaunas andBiałystok.[49] Construction work for the line between Kaunas and the Latvian border was expected to begin in 2021.[49]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(September 2024) |
A 2022 European Union proposal is for all new rail lines to be standard gauge and a rolling plan introduced to convert other gauges to European standard gauge.[50]
—Latvia, same gauge (1520 mm)
—Poland,dual gauge (1435 mm and 1520 mm)
—Belarus, same gauge (1520 mm)
—Kaliningrad Railway withRussia, same gauge (1520 mm).jpg)
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