Think Railways

“I am particularly pleased that ambitious key strategic projects, important for the national and international transport and logistics system, are being implemented successfully. These projects will increase Lithuania’s transportation and logistics system competitiveness, augment state’s national budget and create jobs,” stated Rimantas Sinkevičius, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, during his visit to Vilnius and Kaunas intermodal terminals.

It is expected that Vilnius and Kaunas Public Logistic Centres, projects estimated at LTL 200 million (EUR 58 million),  will start operations by the end of 2014.

Vilnius intermodal terminal is located next to the Vaidotai railway cargo transit station, which is the largest in Lithuania, and the southern Vilnius ring road. Once the project is completed, the cargo will be moved quickly and conveniently from the port of Klaipeda to Vilnius, Belarus and destinations further to the East. Without doubts, the region will feel the benefit i.e. it will create new jobs, reduce the flow of trucks in the city and well as the number of accidents, amount of the pollution and noise. The total value of the project of Vilnius PLC is estimated at LTL 107.2 million (EUR 31 million), with an aid of LTL 90.6 million (EUR 26 million) from the EU Cohesion Fund. It is estimated that the returns of the project will be three times higher and will reach more than LTL 370 million (EUR 107 million).

Kaunas intermodal terminal will be operating in strategically convenient location – Palemonas yard area, where the rail infrastructure is well-developed, convenient access to the country’s main roads is established, the two Pan-European transport corridors and their branches (transport corridor I and transport corridor IX) and the Kaunas International Airport are nearby. In addition, the seaports of Klaipeda and Kaliningrad, opening the routes to the Western and Eastern European markets and CIS countries, are also relatively close. Four railway tracks for cargos (two tracks of different width) will be constructed, one 40 tonne lifting capacity gantry container crane and storage ground for up to 1000 containers will be arranged.  The terminal, an investment estimated at LTL 87.6 million, will be connected to the Rail Baltica transport system.

The projects are being carried out by Lithuanian Railways (AB “Lietuvos geležinkeliai”), aiming to achieve one of the most important goals of the EU and Lithuania: to reduce roadway usage and transfer a large part of the burden of cargo transportation to railways.