The public already has the opportunity to get acquainted with the territorial planning documents of the Kaunas-Vilnius railway line of the "Rail Baltica" project - the solutions of the alternatives of the infrastructure development plan concept and the documentation of their strategic consequences for the environment. Residents are invited to actively participate in the territorial planning process, to submit comments and proposals for documents during the public hearing.
"Rail Baltica" is one of the most important strategic projects of the whole of Europe, which we are accelerating and striving to implement as soon as possible. A modern, environmentally friendly high-speed rail link connecting Kaunas and Vilnius will provide even more opportunities for residents of the capital and surrounding areas to travel, and will provide local businesses with a convenient and safe freight transportation alternative. After the construction of the Rail Baltica track, Kaunas will be reachable by rail from Vilnius in 38 minutes," says Deputy Minister of Transport Loreta Maskaliovienė.
The public can familiarize themselves with the prepared development alternatives of the Engineering Infrastructure Development Plan (IIVP) and the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) report in the information system TPDRIS (http://www.tpdris.lt/lt_LT/web/guest/sarasas, TPD no. S-NC-00-19-10), Web GIS in the online space (https://tiny.cc/rbaltica), at the headquarters of the planning organizer, on the website of the Ministry of Transport (https://sumin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/projekto-rail-baltica-gelezinkelio-linijos-kaunas-vilnius-susisiekimo-komunikaciju-inzinerines-infrastrukturos-vystymo -plan) and on the website of the SPA document preparer (https://www.sweco.lt/pranesimai/svarbus-pranesimai/rail-baltica-gelezinkelio-linijos-koncepcija/).
Before the public presentation of the IIVP and SPAV of the Kaunas-Vilnius railway line of Rail Baltica, the public and interested organizations will be able to submit their comments and suggestions, they will be examined during the consideration of the submitted documents.
"According to the current procedure, conditions are created for all those who wish not only to get to know each other, but also to participate in the initial stage of projects, when the territorial planning process is carried out, to submit motivated proposals that may influence decision-making. We are very much looking forward to the involvement of the public and interested communities in the process so that we can prepare a project that meets as many expectations as possible. And it is very important that all proposals are made on time, because the sooner we implement the project, the sooner we will all be able to use its benefits", says Karolis Sankovski, CEO of LTG Infra, the company responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania.
The search for the optimal new track for the Rail Baltica railway is due to the fact that the currently operated railway between Vilnius and Kaunas does not meet the requirements for train speed set by Rail Baltica due to its geometry. In total, the project implementer UAB "Sweco Lietuva" prepared four alternative routes along which the "Rail Baltica" railway could run between Vilnius and Kaunas. Among them, the most optimal alternative was chosen, which best meets the needs of transportation and which will have the least consequences for the environment.
Rail Baltica is a greenfield railway transport infrastructure project whose goal is to integrate the Baltic countries into the European railway network. In Lithuania, in Latvia and in Estonia, 870 km of high-speed electrified railway double track will be built, on which trains will run up to 249 km/h. speed The new railway line will be 1435 mm wide and includes the route Tallinn–Pernu–Riga–Panevėžys–Kaunas–Lithuanian and Polish state border and the connection Kaunas–Vilnius.
