The multibillion-euro Rail Baltica project, which aims to connect Poland and the Baltic States with a European standard-gauge railway, is scheduled for completion until 2030 – but meeting that target will be a major challenge, according to the project’s top official in Lithuania.
“It’s a very, very big challenge,” Arenijus Jackus, chair of the supervisory board of RB Rail, the joint pan-Baltic venture coordinating the project, said. “We can all calculate how many years are left for the design, how long it takes for the construction and all the other things, including electrification, traffic management. If I were to say that I really guarantee that this will happen, it would be very frivolous.”
Despite the uncertainty, Jackus emphasised that there was a “very strong” ambition to ensure travellers could journey from Warsaw to Tallinn until 2030.
In February, Jackus told Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs that the completion of the railway in Lithuania could be delayed until 2032 or 2033 due to various risks.
Some progress is expected earlier: until 2028, Lithuania and Poland are set to be connected via a previously built line between Kaunas and the Polish border, once a new traffic management system is installed that will allow trains to travel at speeds up to 120 kilometres per hour.
“When the infrastructure allows it, it will be much more convenient, and Kaunas residents will be able to go directly to Warsaw,” Jackus said. “We plan that to happen in 2028, and the interconnection with Warsaw will definitely be better through the first line of Rail Baltica.”
A second European gauge line on that section is scheduled for completion until 2030.
Funding remains a concern, Jackus notes, pointing to a possible “technical pause” between EU financing periods. As a result, alternative funding options – including borrowing from international financial institutions – are under consideration.
Lithuania also plans to prepare a national strategy by the end of the year for acquiring rolling stock compatible with European railway standards.
Once completed, Rail Baltica will span 392 kilometres in Lithuania and connect the cities of Tallinn, Parnu, Riga, Panevezys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw. (LRT)