A boost to business and tourism, better communication and new jobs are just some of the benefits of Rail Baltica Global Project were discussed at four remote meetings during the last month in Lithuania different regions.

Marius Narmontas, RB Rail AS Head of Lithuanian branch says: “High speed Rail Baltica line will help to improve regional infrastructure, opens more opportunities to local business, boost communication which can be an essential point for regions in Lithuania. I am happy to see municipalities’ wiliness to collaborate and use Rail Baltica bringing opportunities to boom regional economies”.

RB Rail AS also aims to develop Air-Rail / Small Freight, which are to help with more sustainable and integrated transport, there will be rail connections at the major airports along the railway, options for bag drop at larger stations, etc.

“While building large, cross-border infrastructure, adding things such as fiber for digital services can be a lot more cost-effective, and that fiber can then help with things like regional/rural digital connectivity, 5G rollout, the EU’s “Gigabit society” vision. We have to build a data network to support the railway itself, and the incremental cost of “cross-border digital infrastructure” is low, but the socioeconomic benefits can be significant,” Narmontas adds.

The project is at advanced design phase with more than 640 km out of 870 km of the Rail Baltica main line design being under development. In Lithuania is planned three international stations for passengers – in Vilnius, Kaunas. The planned international railway station near the city of Panevezys will allow operative contact with both Northern and Southern European countries. It was noted that it is necessary to continue the dialogue and coordinate further work, taking into account the needs of the citizens.  

Joint Venture RB Rail AS together with representatives of Lithuania Ministry of Transport and Communications, LTG Infra and the representatives of district municipalities discussed the benefits of Rail Baltica for the region's residents and businesses, as well as expressed expectations and needs. M. Narmontas presented the status of design works in Lithuania, what innovations will bring fast train in the Baltic States, represented studies which are currently underway, participated in the discussions. 4 remote events were held in Kaunas, Panevėžys, Marijampolė and Vilnius regions.

RB Rail AS focus in 2021 is to get ready for large-scale construction works. It will include both synchronizing Global Project implementation plan with the available financing perspectives and long-term EU budget as well as setting up necessary frameworks for supply or railway materials and components for the main line construction.