Lithuania - General Information

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Country Name

Lithuania (Lietuva)

National Railway System

The national railway AB Lietuvos Geležinkeliai is a state-owned holding company with stand-alone passenger, freight and infrastructure businesses. However, access to its website is at present blocked to users in some (non EU) countries.

The passenger business LG Keleiviams was formally registered on 28 February 2019 and has taken over the Passenger Transport Directorate (Keleivių Vežimo Direkcia) division of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai. However, access to its website is also blocked to users in some (non EU) countries.

National Railway Operator

LTG Link operates passenger services in Lithuania

Language

Lithuanian.

Currency

Euro

UIC code

numeric 24; alpha LT

Timetable

Journey Planner

LTG LINK

Downloadable Timetable

No downloadable timetables are available.

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

This information is no longer available.

Bus Information

autobusubilietai.lt provides a journey planner for buses in Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe.

Lux Express operates coach routes in the Baltic region.

Maps

Printed Maps

Web-based Maps

Ticketing

There are no known network tickets, but fares are cheap.

Tickets can be purchased on the LTG-Link website including for International travel to Riga. From 4 November 2024, a service fee of 2 EUR is levied when buying tickets on the train, except for pensioners, children and on Vilnius Airport - Vilnius local services.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

AB LTG Infra is responsible for the infrastructure. However, access to its website is blocked to users in some (non EU) countries.

Network Statement

The latest Network Statements are contained in the Network Statements section.

Gauge

"Russian" gauge (1520 mm) except for

  • "Rail Baltica": Trakiszki (Polish border) - Šeštokai - Kaunas - Palemonas (and eventually onwards to the Latvian Border via Panevėžys) (standard gauge; 1435 mm). Rail Baltica is mixed gauge between Mockava and Šeštokai, then parallel to the 1520 mm gauge line between Šeštokai and Palemonas, except for mixed gauge through the tunnel east of Kaunas. The Kaunas avoider appears to have a separate SG track laid only as far as the Russian Gauge loop at Rokeliu.
  • Panevėžys - Rubikiai (750mm).

Electrification

25kV 50 Hz

Rule of the road

Most lines are single track, but on double track sections right hand running applies.

Distances

The Current Network Statement gives overall distances for lines in Annex 2.

Other Railways

None.

Tourist Lines

The Panevėžys - Rubikiai 750mm gauge railway.

Metro

None.

Trams/LRT-Systems

None.

Recent and Future Changes

Future Changes

In June 2024 the EU Council of Ministers approved the construction of a standard gauge line to Klaipeda as part of the revised TEN-T network. The proposed route is not known.

A Polish railway press article in late December 2022 stated that a through standard gauge service to Kaunas, operated by PKP, was planned from the 2023/24 timetable change but this did not commence, a change of train [and gauge] is still required at Mockava.

Because of rising costs, the EU wishes to prioritise the “core” of the Rail Baltica project, namely Warszawa - Tallinn. Lithuania wishes to construct a standard gauge line from Kaunas to Vilnius but the current status and funding of this option is unclear.

The Ministry of Transport selected option 6A in May 2022 as its preferred route for the section of Rail Baltica between the Polish border and Kaunas (Jiesia). This is a 'greenfield' route bypassing Marijampolė, Kazlų Rūda and Kalvarija but allegedly the existing and previously used by passenger services 1435 mm gauge line would continue in use as it is important for military purposes, providing access to the Kazlų Rūda training area.

An EU funding agreement to cover 85% of the costs of building the line from Kaunas to the Latvian border (part of the Rail Baltica II project) was signed on November 18 2016 and a Press announcement in May 2021 advised all necessary land had been acquired. In total Rail Baltica will involve 392km of new railway in Lithuania. An October 2021 Press Release advised of delays in Estonia resulting in an estimated completion through to Tallinn in 2030 without mentioning progress and if earlier openings further south are anticipated. It is believed the lines are to be double track and electrified throughout.

Recent Changes (latest developments at top)

A service from Vilnius via Šiauliai and the cross border line to Jelgava and Riga in Latvia resumed from 27 December 2023.

A pair of PKP IC trains were extended across the border daily to Mockava from 11 December 2022, with through ticketing onto a guaranteed DMU connection with a LG Mockava - Kaunas - Vilnius service. This restored a passenger service on the broad gauge rails between Šeštokai and Kazlu Ruda, withdrawn on 28 September 2013. [Mockava - Šeštokai is interlaced mixed gauge.] The limited FSSuO Białystok - Kaunas standard gauge service was withdrawn from the same date, resulting in no service on the interlaced, then separate parallel standard gauge line between Mockava and Šeštokai, and Šeštokai and Kaunas respectively. That use by a through Białystok (PL) – Kaunas service had resumed after Covid on 1 July 2022 but with a less frequent basis from before.

On 1 July 2022, the (Radviliškis -) Panevėžys - Rokiškis line was closed ‘temporarily’ because of low passenger numbers and a lack of spare parts caused by the war in Ukraine. Rokiškis no longer appears as an option in the Journey planner drop down boxes but services have resumed to Panevėžys.

On 2 February 2022 the government approved the electrification of the 309 km Kaišiadorys – Klaipėda – Draugystės (the port branch south of Klaipėda station) route. €197m of the €398m cost will come from the EU Cohesion Fund.

The Kaunas Intermodal Terminal at Palemonas opened to commercial traffic on 19 July 2021, when a train arrived from Tilburg in the Netherlands. This is reached via dual gauge track laid beyond Kaunas station to Palemonas in October 2020 as a separate SG track has only been laid as far as the Russian Gauge loop at Rokeliu on the Kaunas avoiding line.

The passenger service between Turmantas and Daugavpils (Latvia) was suspended in March 2020. It had reopened to passengers on 4 April 2018, with a weekends only service. This had previously ceased at the end of May 2015 when the Vilnius - Sankt Peterburg (Russia) train was withdrawn.

The Reņge - Mažeikiai (LG) freight only cross border line reopened on 15 February 2020.

Passenger services were reinstated between (Vilnius -) Oro Uostas (Vilnius airport) and Jašiūnai on 9 Dec 2018. Services beyond Jašiūnai to Stasylos via Oro Uostas and the alternative route via the Vaidotal freight yards had previously been withdrawn on 1 January 2015.

Klaipēda - Šilutė was reopened to passenger traffic on 1 October 2018, having been discontinued from 29 May 2011

Electrification across the border from Kena into Belarus was completed in Autumn 2017 and a through electric passenger service commenced on 10 December 2017, later withdrawn due to Belarus links with Russia.

The Vilnius - Marcinkonys service was cut back to Varėna at an unknown date between December 2015 and November 2016 but had reopened by Mid March 2017.

After some false starts, passenger services were introduced over the standard gauge (1435 mm) Rail Baltica line between Šeštokai and Kaunas on 17 June 2016. These comprised Białystok – Kaunas trains operated by Polish diesel units: two trains each way on Saturdays and Sundays, with a northbound train on Fridays and a southbound train on Mondays. The separate 1435 mm gauge track runs alongside the existing broad gauge route between Šeštokai and Kaunas, in contrast to the original plans for a partly new route. An unexpected consequence was that no LG passenger service resumed south of Marijampole to Šeštokai, so the last broad gauge passenger trains ran on this section on 28 September 2013. At Šeštokai there is now only a platform on one of the new standard gauge tracks, relocated from their previous location, and it took until 6 October 2017 before this SG service started to call there.

Passenger services over the border crossing between Stasylos and Benjakonī (Belarus) were reintroduced on 6 June 2015, with one train each way between Grodno/Гродна and Vilnius at weekends only, but this withdrawn after 8 November the same year. On 3 August 2011 services to Stasylos had been 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 took the name Stasylos, the old station being renamed Senosios Stasylos. Services between Stasylos and Benjakonī (Belarus) had ceased on 19 September 2008 when the summer-only Vilnius - Simferopol’ train pair ended.

Palemonas via Gaižiūnai to/from Jonava has lost and regained its single train pair more than once, sometimes only running at weekends. As at November 2024 a daily service is still running.

Through Vilnius - Druskininkai LG trains and the Vilnius - Warszawa overnight service 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. It remains in use as a heritage railway but travelling the complete line can be difficult.

Since late 1998 the following lines have lost their passenger service:

  • Jonaitiškai – Kutiškiai
  • [Šiauliai -] Mankiškai - Jonaitiškai - Tauragė - Pagėgiai - Šilutė - Klaipēda (Klaipēda - Šilutė subsequently reopened closed and re-opened again)
  • Švenčionėliai - Utena
  • Šeštokai - Alytus
  • [Klaipēda -] Kretinga - Skuodas
  • [Vilnius -] Paneriai - Valičiūniai (part subsequently reopened)

Special notes

None.

See also

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