Recently, the portal lrytas.lt shared information that the Kaunas Council ordered 200 a feasibility study costing EUR XNUMX, which was supposed to show how it is possible to reduce the traffic of passenger cars and encourage people to switch to public transport. While the Vilnius municipality is convinced that the residents of Vilnius need to update the existing fleet of buses and trolleybuses and that this should encourage them to use public transport, it is proposed to install a tram for the neighboring city. As the study showed, this would be the best way to encourage people to switch to public transport.
The feasibility study cost the city 200. euros. It was prepared by Smart Continent LT. If the municipality of Kaunas decided to implement the tram project, it would need at least 250 thousand. euros. Then, if the project does not encounter major obstacles, the first tram line could be installed already in 2030-2032.
"The tram could be the best solution for Kaunas", the manager of the company "Smart Continent LT", which prepared the study, told the portal lrytas.lt. Vilnius University Associate Professor of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Andrius Jaržemskis.
By the way, as lrytas.lt writes, almost 20 years ago, Vilnius was planning high-speed tram lines and had reached the final stage - 3 lines were planned. The idea was abandoned due to problems with fitting the lines In the old town.
Instead of a tram, the Vilnius authorities chose the development of express buses, but such a system requires specific infrastructure. Although cheaper than trams, express buses are less attractive. In Vilnius, the bus network does not correspond to the fast bus systems understood abroad, where vehicles travel along separate corridors, as in Istanbul. As a result, Vilnius is unable to transfer residents to public transport, as moving by bus is often slower and less convenient than driving one's own car.
We wrote about the mayor's position on trams recently. Valdas Benkunskas believes that Vilnius is still too small for us to install a tram line or subway. Since these are projects that require a lot of attention and cannot be implemented during one term (within 4 years), the current Vilnius government started to manage the more visible public transport segments.
This time we asked the municipality if it is not going to buy a feasibility study in order to find out if Vilnius really needs a tram. After all, this city is bigger than neighboring Kaunas, which bought the studio and will probably install the first tram line in the near future.
"The analysis and assessment of the possibilities of a new type of public transport is being carried out by the capabilities of JUDU specialists. External consultants will be used for additional analysis, but public procurement for these services has not yet taken place", says Gabrielius Grubinskas, Vilnius city municipalities Media relations specialist.
While Vilnius ignores the tram idea, let's return to Kaunas. The authors of the completed study visited Tallinn, Toruń, Brescia and Alicante, and were interested in the transport of these cities, which are similar in size to Kaunas. Scientists surveyed 10 people. citizens of Kaunas, in order to find out their movement routes in the city.
Since there is no experience in the construction and use of trams in Lithuania, it will be necessary to create design standards and apply Road Traffic Rules. It is possible to refer to the standards of EU countries, and then create your own legislation. The studio uses mainly German and Austrian standards.
City authorities will have to restructure public transport to meet EU environmental requirements. From 2027 public transport in major cities will have to use alternative fuels, and trams can replace 2-3 buses. If Kaunas installs a tram, it will be the first Lithuanian city to revolutionize public transport. Who knows, maybe in a few years Vilnius will learn and take an example from Kaunas, which has already taken a step forward today.
