Lithuania - General Information
Country Name
Lithuania (Lietuva)
National Railway System
National Railway Operator
The Passenger Transport Directorate (Keleivių Vežimo Direkcia) is a division of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai.
Language
Lithuanian.
Currency
Euro
UIC code
numeric 24; alpha LT
Timetable
Journey Planner
www.litrail.lt and click on 'Passenger transportation'
Downloadable Timetable
None.
Printed Timetable
A printed timetable is produced, but appears to be for staff use only. Travel centres such as the one at Vilnius offer individual timetables on photocopied sheets.
Engineering Information
None.
Bus Information
The stotis.lt website accesses journey planners for Trains, Buses and Local Transport.
Maps
Printed Maps
- European Railway Atlas by M.G. Ball (2008 onwards)
Web-based Maps
- Thorsten Büker's Map of the Baltic States
- Page 23 of the 2014-2015 Network Statement
Ticketing
There are no known network tickets, but fares are cheap.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Authority
The Railway Infrastructure Directorate (Geležinkelių Infrastruktūros Direkcia) is a division of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai.
Network Statement
The Network Statement can be downloaded from the Infrastructure page of the Lietuvos geležinkeliai website > Infrastructure.
Gauge
"Russian" gauge (1520mm) except the Panevėžys - Rubikiai line (750mm, partly tourist traffic)
Electrification
25kV 50 Hz
Rule of the road
Most lines are single track, but on double track sections right hand running applies.
Distances
The 2014-2015 Network Statement gives overall distances for lines on pages 18-19 and a network map with ditsances for each station on page 23 (Annex 4).
Other Railways
None.
Tourist Lines
The Panevėžys - Rubikiai 750mm gauge railway.
Metro
None.
Trams
None.
Recent and Future Changes
The Vilnius - Sankt Peterburg (Russia) train is threatened with withdrawal at the May 2015 timetable change. This would remove services over the Turmantas - Daugavpils border crossing, although LG services might be extended to Daugavpils.
Palemonas to Gaižiūnai has lost and regained its single train pair more than once. As at January 2015 a service is running.
On 3 August 2011 services to Stasylos were extended 4.2 km southwards to a new station 1.3 km north of the former Šalčininkai halt and 5.5 km from the Belarus border on the line to Ліда / Lida. This new station was also named Stasylos, the old station being renamed Senosios Stasylos. On 5 December 2011 Stasylos became a new border station. Cross border passenger traffic will resume, at the latest when the planned abolition of visa requirements for citizens of the border region comes into effect.
Services from Klaipēda to Šilutė were discontinued from 29 May 2011
Services between Stasylos and Benjakonī (Belarus) ceased on 19 September 2008 when the summer-only Vilnius - Simferopol’ train pair stopped running.
Through Vilnius - Druskininkai LG trains and the Vilnius - Warszawa overnight service, both via Parėččė (Belarus), ceased in 2001, resulting in withdrawal of all trains south of Marcinkonys.
Regular services over the Panevėžys - Anykščiai narrow gauge line ceased from 25 March 2001.
Since late 1998 the following lines have lost their passenger service:
- Jonaitiškai – Kutiškiai
- [Šiauliai -] Mankiškai - Jonaitiškai - Tauragė - Pagėgiai - Šilutė - Klaipēda (Klaipēda - Šilutė subsequently reopened but has since closed again)
- Švenčionėliai - Utena
- Šeštokai - Alytus
- [Klaipēda -] Kretinga - Skuodas
- [Vilnius -] Paneriai - Valičiūniai (but has subsequently reopened)
Special notes
None.