RB Rail, the joint venture established by the Baltic countries for the Rail Baltica project, should soon issue a tender for a study, which would analyze ways to increase the speed on this section, Arijandas Sliupas, Deputy Transport Minister said.
“Now the joint venture has to carry out an assessment, which will evaluate two alternatives – whether to consider, in general, building a new line [between Kaunas and the border with Poland] within the framework of this project or to adjust the existing line,” Sliupas said, adding that the study should be completed by the end of the year.
The railway section between Kaunas and the border with Poland, which was completed last year, is now adapted to passenger trains travelling at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
Lithuanian Transport Minister Rimantas Sinkevicius said that if Poland, which would have a 431-km long section of Rail Baltica crossing its territory, decided to build a line adapted to the speeds of up to 240 km/h, Lithuania would also increase the speed on its section.
Henrik Hololei, Director General for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, has recently told the Estonian daily Postimees that speeds should be increased to 240 km/h if Lithuania wants this section to be considered as part of Rail Baltica. The line built between Kaunas and the border with Poland had been adapted to slower speeds since the European Union (EU) had set different objectives at that time, he said. The 120-km section, worth more than EUR 370 million, was opened last October.
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