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
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
Information about the changes of the passenger train schedules
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 accessed from the Railway Infrastructure Directorate.
Gauge
"Russian" gauge (1520 mm) except for
- "Rail Baltica": Trakiszki (Polish border) - Šeštokai - Kaunas (standard gauge; 1435 mm). Rail Baltica is mixed gauge between Mockava and Šeštokai but runs parallel to the 1520 mm gauge line between Šeštokai and Kaunas.
- 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 2015-2016 Network Statement gives overall distances for lines on pages 19-20 and a network map with ditsances for each station on page 31 (Annex 4).
Other Railways
None.
Tourist Lines
The Panevėžys - Rubikiai 750mm gauge railway.
Metro
None.
Trams
None.
Recent and Future Changes
It is hoped to finalise electrification of the Vilnius freight bypass in 2018, and there are plans to extend electrification from Radviliskis to Klaipeda by 2020 and from Vilnius into Kaliningrad by 2021.
An EU funding agreement to cover 85% of the costs of building the 55 km from Kaunas to the border with Latvia as part of the Rail Baltica II project was signed on November 18 2016 which followed a contract awarded in October 2016 for tracks to be laid to the already built Kaunas intermodal terminal at Palemonas via the Kaunas avoiding line. The target date for completion of all of the standard gauge railway line in the Baltic States is 2025.
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 is 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 a platform only on a standard gauge track even though the new service does not 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 withdrawn after 8 November. The (Vilnius -) Oro uostas - Valciunai - Stasylos and Paneriai - Valciunai services had been withdrawn on 1 January 2015 although shuttle trains continue to serve Oro uostas (Vilnius airport) from Vilnius main station.
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 was also named Stasylos, the old station being renamed Senosios Stasylos. Services between Stasylos and Benjakonī (Belarus) ceased on 19 September 2008 when the summer-only Vilnius - Simferopol’ train pair stopped running.
The Vilnius - Sankt Peterburg (Russia) train was withdrawn at the end of May 2015, removing services over the Turmantas - Daugavpils border crossing.
Palemonas to Gaižiūnai has lost and regained its single train pair more than once. As at January 2015 a service is running.
Services from Klaipēda to Šilutė were discontinued from 29 May 2011
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.