It's official: the train to Riga will start on 27 December
This December we will offer a new international route Vilnius-Riga
"LTG Link, the passenger transport company of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways) Group, plans to offer passengers a new international sustainable rail connection to Latvia this winter. Following an agreement between the transport ministers and prime ministers of the three Baltic states, the first train from Vilnius to Riga is expected to run as early as 27 December this year. The international trains will run on the direct route Vilnius-Kaišiadorys-Šiauliai-Joniškis-Jelgava-Riga.
The company is currently carrying out preparatory work for the new route. An agreement has already been signed with the Latvian infrastructure manager for the use of its infrastructure.
The train to Riga will pass through Šiauliai and Jelgava, which will make the trains on this route convenient for residents of the capitals as well as for passengers travelling to or from other cities in Lithuania and Latvia.
"The passenger train between the capitals of Lithuania and Latvia is the result of an agreement reached by the Baltic transport ministers and prime ministers earlier this year. We are pleased that trains will soon be running on this route. We hope that in the future it will be extended to Tallinn and that the construction of Rail Baltica will make travelling to our neighbours even faster and more comfortable," said Loreta Maskaliovienė, Deputy Minister of Transport.
"Our vision is clear - we want to develop solutions that promote sustainable mobility, including a rail link between the capitals of Lithuania and Latvia. We hope that this new route will attract public attention - with LTG Link offering a connection between Vilnius and Warsaw, railway enthusiasts will be able to reach connected European cities by rail from the very first station in Riga, passengers looking for weekend entertainment in neighbouring capitals will be able to travel comfortably and safely to the neighbouring capital, and the Baltic business community will be able to make business trips and spend their time in a meaningful way," said Gediminas Šečkus, Acting Head of LTG Link.
He said that LTG Link will be able to provide a comfortable and sustainable journey for all its customers on this route without any changes, and the train will be adapted to people with individual needs. The train journey time is expected to be competitive with that of a car.
The company is currently continuing the work necessary to launch the new route. "LTG Link has applied to the relevant Latvian and European authorities for the necessary permits to operate
international routes on Latvian territory and is working on the remaining issues related to the organisation of the new route, such as meeting the requirements of Latvian Railways and developing the customer service package. The exact date of the first international route to Riga will be confirmed once the necessary permits have been obtained and the organisational issues have been resolved.
The company has already recruited new drivers who will be fluent in Latvian and authorised to drive trains in the neighbouring country. Recruitment of Latvian-speaking, customer-focused travel attendants in Latvia is continuing.
