LITHUANIA: The first of the Flirt electric multiple-units ordered by national passenger operator LTG Link was delivered to Vilnius on the night of October 12-13, arriving from Stadler’s Polish factory by road because of its wide profile and 1 520 mm gauge.
Testing is expected to start at the end of the month, for entry into service in 2026.
LTG Link awarded Stadler a €226·5m contract in June 2023 for the supply 15 Flirt multiple-units, financed with two €100m loans from the European Investment Bank and Nordic Investment Bank. Stadler will supply spare parts throughout the trains’ 30-year life, with an initial 10-year technical support and spares agreement running to 2037.
The order includes nine five-car Flirt EMUs for inter-city services on the main east-west route from Vilnius to Klaipėda which is currently being electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz, and six three-car battery-electric multiple-units for the non-electrified Kaunas – Šiauliai and Vilnius – Varėna – Marcinkonys routes. There are options for more of each type.
The new trains will be more spacious, more comfortable and accessible than LTG Link’s older stock. There will be a larger number of bicycle spaces, and the inter-city trains will have a bistro selling hot food and drinks. The livery is designed to be bright, bold and recognisable.
The arrival of the first unit was a long-awaited moment, according to LTG Group CEO Egidijus Lazauskas, who said ‘we aim to make train travel sustainable and comfortable, and the new trains will make these expectations a daily reality – both when commuting to work and discovering Lithuania on the weekend.’
- Subscribers can read more about rail investment in the Baltic States in the October 2025 issue of Railway Gazette International.
