All Lithuania articles – Page 2
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News€353m Rail Baltica grant agreement signed
EUROPE: A grant agreement which will see the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility provide €353·9m for the Rail Baltica project has been signed by the European Climate, Infrastructure & Environment Executive Agency, ministries from the three countries and tri-national implementation agency RB Rail. This will fund the ...
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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NewsAmber Train links the Baltic States to western Europe
EUROPE: A trial Amber Train service between the Baltic States left the Estonian port of Muuga on September 13, arriving the following day at Kaunas in Lithuanian where its load of semi-trailers was transferred to 1 435 mm gauge wagons for onward transport to destinations including ...
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NewsRail Baltica shadow operator appointed
EUROPE: A joint venture of the German national railway’s DB Engineering & Consulting business, Spanish national operator RENFE Operadora and consultancy Ineco is to act as shadow operator for the Rail Baltica project. The €8m contract was signed by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail and ...
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NewsLTG Cargo signs Kazakh co-operation agreements
INTERNATIONAL: The Lithuanian national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo has signed its first co-operation agreements in Kazakhstan, as part of its strategy of expanding, diversifying and developing routes between Asia and Europe which avoid Russia. A co-operation agreement with the KTZ Express intermodal subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s ...
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NewsLTG Cargo Ukraine reopens to offer freight routes via Poland
UKRAINE: The LTG Cargo Ukraine subsidiary of Lithuania’s national railway has restarted its activities, noting that there has been a significant increase in demand for the export of grain and other products from Ukraine. LTG Cargo Ukraine temporarily suspended operations in March following the Russian invasion. ...
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NewsRail Baltica electrification procurement begins
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has begun procurement of the electrification systems for the future standard gauge line between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, saying it will be the largest railway electrification scheme in Europe to be implemented as a single project. The energy ...
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NewsRail Baltica route to the Polish border selected
LITHUANIA: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has selected its preferred route for the Polish border to Kaunas (Jiesia) section of the future 1 435 mm gauge Rail Baltica corridor. Four options had been studied by a joint venture of Sweco Lietuva and DB Engineering & ...
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NewsBusiness opportunities as Rail Baltica looks 150 years ahead
EUROPE: ‘What will this look like in 150 years?’ is a question being asked by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail, which sees the greenfield construction project as offering opportunities to take a very long-term view of where rail technology is heading, and to apply best ...
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NewsLithuania rethinks freight flows to bypass Belarus
EUROPE: Lithuania’s national freight operator LTG Cargo has sent a pilot container train to Ukraine via Poland, avoiding Belarus because of that country’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. LTG Cargo said the return working would be the first time in its history that freight ...
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NewsInvasion of Ukraine ‘has increased the geopolitical relevance of Rail Baltica’
EUROPE: ‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine reaffirms the need to connect the Baltic states to the rest of Europe’, said Catherine Trautmann, the European Commission’s co-ordinator for the North Sea – Baltic TEN-T corridor, on April 13, when Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail set out ...
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NewsLithuania to Germany intermodal service to launch in April
EUROPE: Lithuanian national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo is to launch a service carrying containers and semi-trailers from the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal to Duisburg in Germany on April 4. Trains with a capacity of up to 36 semi-trailers and containers will run thrice-weekly on the 1 ...
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NewsFlat wagons recalled to prevent use in invasion of Ukraine
EUROPE: Lithuania’s national freight operator LTG Cargo has stopped the leasing of its flat wagons and banned their transport to Russia or Belarus, out of concern that the governments could nationalise them and use them for military purposes as part of the invasion of Ukraine. LTG ...
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NewsGovernment approves Vilnius – Klaipėda electrification
LITHUANIA: The government has approved the Ministry of Transport & Communications’ plans for 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the 309 km Kaišiadorys – Klaipėda – Draugystės route, which will complete electrification of the 376 km corridor between Vilnius and the port city. The cost is ...
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NewsRail Baltica contracts awarded and Tallinn station name announced
EUROPE: Further contracts have been awarded for the Rail Baltica standard gauge line project, and the name of the future terminal in Tallinn has been announced.
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In depthSmart maintenance: Locomotives find a new lease of life
The delicate economics of rail freight and rapidly changing regulatory conditions have seen the emergence of a healthy market across a swathe of eastern Europe focused on the overhaul, modernisation and life-extension of Soviet-era locomotives. Vladimir Waldin provides an overview.
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NewsClockface timetable plan and contract awards as Rail Baltica makes progress
EUROPE: A strategy for a Swiss-inspired national clockface timetable in Latvia has been published as part of the Rail Baltica programme, and further contracts for development of the 870 km standard gauge line have been awarded.
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NewsLidar sensors improve traffic flow at busy level crossing
LEVEL CROSSING: Silicon Valley-based lidar technology company Cepton and Lithuanian system integrator Belam are working together on obstacle detection systems for level crossings. After testing various types of sensor, Belam concluded that Cepton’s Helius Smart lidar was the most reliable, eliminating false ...
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In depthFreight: An intermodal gateway emerges in northeast Europe
Connected since July to the Polish border by a standard gauge link, the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal in Lithuania is set to become a strategic hub for the Baltic States as part of the wider Rail Baltica programme.
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NewsStandard gauge freight terminal opens in Lithuania
LITHUANIA: The Kaunas Intermodal Terminal opened to commercial freight traffic on July 19, with Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė amongst the guests at a ceremony welcoming the arrival of a 1 435 mm gauge train loaded with containers and semi-trailers from the Netherlands. Work began in spring ...