Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas: We will be able to demonstrate the Rail Baltica potential for business as early as in 2019

Press release, 13 February 2018

Photo of the Office of the Seimas (author Džoja Gunda Barysaitė)

On 13 February 2018, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, met Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport. The meeting focused on the projects to develop strategic transport connections of the EU, including the Rail Baltica project, which is of particular importance for the Baltic Sea region.

“Lithuania has been successfully and timely implementing the phases of the project requiring particular diligence. I am encouraged to see the united approach of all Baltic States towards this strategic infrastructure project. We expect to connect the intermodal terminal in Palemonas to the 1435 mm Rail Baltica gauge in 2019. If this is the case, then as early as in 2019 we will be ready to demonstrate the potential offered by the Rail Baltica to business,” said the Speaker of the Seimas.

On 31 January 2017, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed an international agreement, which was ratified by the respective national Parliaments in October 2017. The process of acquisition of land, necessary for the construction of the railway line between Kaunas and the Lithuanian-Latvian border, is currently underway. It is expected to be completed by autumn 2018. Moreover, tenders have already been launched for construction works on the railway line connecting Rokai, Kaunas and the intermodal terminal in Palemonas.

Paulius Žeimys, Assistant to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 85 239 6030, e-mail: [email protected]