The first passenger train on the new Vilnius–Riga route is scheduled to depart at the end of this year. Here is what you need to know about the journey.
According to Lithuanian Railways Group’s company LTG Link, preparatory work for the new route is currently underway.
It is expected that the first train will be able to depart from Vilnius to Riga as early as December 27 this year. The train will run on a direct route Vilnius-Kaišiadorys-Šiauliai-Joniškis-Jelgava-Riga.
The Vilnius-Riga journey should take just over four hours, according to Lithuanian Transport and Communications Minister Marius Skuodis. The completion of the Rail Baltica project should later halve the length of the route, according to him.
“We expect the Vilnius-Riga train journey, which will start at the end of December, to take about 4 hours 15 minutes. Rail Baltica should reduce the same journey to 1 hour 54 minutes,” the minister wrote on Facebook.
Skuodis noted that the Vilnius-Klaipėda train journey should also be shortened.
“We need to make the Vilnius-Klaipėda journey no longer than the Vilnius-Riga journey. We have already laid the foundation for this – the new European high-speed rail link to Klaipėda has been recognised as an important project for Europe as a whole,” he said. “Moving forward, in the coming years Lithuania will have to choose where to build this new railway line.”
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