The first train from Vilnius arrived in Riga
From today, trains will run daily on the direct route Vilnius–Kaišiadorys–Šiauliai–Joniškis–Jelgava–Riga and back.
Today, on Wednesday forenoon, the first train of the LTG Group's passenger transport company LTG Link arrived from Lithuania to Riga railway station. Together with the passengers who were ready to see the festive Riga, the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė, the Minister of Transport Marius Skuodis and the managers of the LTG Group also arrived.
From today, trains will run daily on the direct route Vilnius–Kaišiadorys–Šiauliai–Joniškis–Jelgava–Riga and back. The new route immediately attracted exceptional interest from travelers. It is estimated that even before the first flight, in a few days sustainable travel enthusiasts managed to purchase over 2,000 tickets for the Vilnius-Riga route.
"Train travel is experiencing a renaissance across Europe. In our region, the significance of the railway as the backbone of communication is also becoming apparent. Together with the entire LTG Group team, we are constantly looking for solutions to create progress for mobility, and this new direction is their latest of it. Starting today, the capital of Latvia will become accessible even more sustainably, simply and, no less importantly, each day. We hope that this direction will be discovered by as many train riders as possible - comfortably and safely traveling for leisure or to work, and looking for new discoveries", shares LTG CEO E. Lazauskas.
Travel from Vilnius to Riga will be convenient for all passengers, including people with individual needs. A typical train journey will take on average 4 hours 15 minutes, so the travel duration will be competitive compared to the car ride.
Train passengers will also be able to transport bicycles (after purchasing their transportation service in advance), carry hand luggage. The fixed price of transporting a bicycle along the entire route will be 10 EUR. As in Lithuania, trips to Riga will be pet-friendly – all one needs to do is have a valid European pet passport and comply with sanitary and hygiene requirements. Small pets transported in special bags will be able to travel for free, and larger ones for a fixed fee of 5 EUR. Passengers will be able to order snacks and drinks on the train.
Lithuanian and Latvian train drivers will change at the Jelgava railway station during passenger boarding - this will ensure a direct and uninterrupted route. Two travel attendants will work on the trains running in the territory of Lithuania, and another Latvian-speaking attendant will join for the Jelgava-Riga route section: in Lithuania, customers will be served in Lithuanian and English, and in Latvia (on the Jelgava-Riga section) - in Latvian.
Those traveling on an international route are reminded to carry personal identification documents. The Eurail travel pass is valid on all LTG Link routes, some of which have a seat reservation fee, so holders of these tickets will also be able to travel between Lithuania and Latvia.
The train from Vilnius will depart every day at 6 am. 30 min., from Kaišiadorys - 7 am 14 min., from Šiauliai - 8:51 am, from Joniškis - 9.30 am. The train arrives in Jelgava at 10:06 am and in Riga Central Station at 10:43 am. From Riga to Vilnius the train leaves every day at 3:28 pm and from Jelgava at 4:08 pm. The train arrives in Šiauliai at 5:21 pm and in Vilnius at 7:51 pm.
This route will primarily aim to ensure sustainable international travel opportunities, therefore local travel services in Latvia will not be provided on the Jelgava-Riga route section.
A standard train ticket between the capitals will cost 24 EUR, customers will be able to choose trips in regular or the first class. More information about the international route can be found here.
