On Friday, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Klaipeda for the development of a new European gauge railway line to Klaipeda. The signatories – the heads of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, LTG Infra, the railway infrastructure manager of the Lithuanian Railways (LTG) group, the Klaipeda port authority and the municipalities of the city and region of Klaipeda – agreed to jointly select the optimal route for this line.
Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis, who participated in the discussions, noted the particular importance of the European gauge to Klaipeda for Lithuania and the entire Baltic region. LTG Group CEO Egidijus Lazauskas said that LTG plans to carry out an architectural modeling of the Lithuanian railway network, considering three alternative routes: via Šiauliai, from Kaunas via Taurage or Pagegiai, or from Kazlu Ruda via Taurage. This study will evaluate technological and technical feasibility, as well as compliance with regulatory requirements.
On June 13, the EU Council adopted a new regulation of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which provides for the integration of the existing network into the European one and the expansion of the TEN-T network. According to the Lithuanian proposal, the regulations provide for the connection of Lithuania and the port of Klaipeda with the Baltic, Black and Adriatic corridors through a 1435 mm wide railway line. This line will significantly change Lithuania’s transport system, speeding up connections between Vilnius and Klaipeda and diversifying port and railway operations.