The future of railways is near: a new ticketing system will emerge, we will move to electric trains

Mantas Bartuška, General Director of Lithuanian Railways, spoke about this on Monday on the “Delfi Tema” program.

“Electrification responds to the green course. This is a key project to change our portfolio in Lithuania, as historically we have had very few electrified lines, and this project will allow us to convert diesel to electric trains. The project should be completed by the end of 2023 It provides European funding of around 200 million euros, ”he said.

The interlocutor noted that the purchase of electric passenger trains was announced at the end of last year.

“This year will be the cornerstone of acquisitions, followed by production. In the procurement itself, we anticipate that on the Vilnius to Klaipeda section we will also want to buy a part of the regional trains where there are no electrified lines. We will evaluate the possibilities and offers from battery train manufacturers. This may be a historic step in the total abandonment of diesel trains and the transition to clean technologies, “said M. Bartuška.

He added that at the same time preparations are underway – market inquiries and for freight trains – locomotives. In 2021, its acquisition should be announced.

“The interest of national security is important and the compliance of the final winners is verified. The documentation is given to a special commission, which evaluates it. If the supplier poses a threat, a negative conclusion can be reached. Then go to the next participant at the time of purchase. Suppliers can participate, but they must understand and know that the final offer will be evaluated by the National Safety Commission, “said the railway manager.

He explained that the company defines in the purchase how much and what it wants to buy.

“The trains are bigger and smaller. There may be 150 seats and there may be 300. There is a technical specification that defines the essential parameters of the train. The amount itself will be decided by the contest and its participants.

I am glad that there is a lot of interest in the market consultation: a finger is not enough because there are manufacturers. We can have really good competition. Historically, rolling stock was purchased when only one bidder participated in the tender. This is a story that raises some questions, and our goal is to get a good contest open, ”said the interviewer.

Ongoing projects

Ms Bartuška said that the projects for the crossing layout, the installation of sound walls and the station information system envisaged in the DNA Plan for the Future Economy prepared by the previous Government will be completed this year.

“Overall, the new ticketing and information system will fundamentally change the opportunities for customers to buy tickets more easily and be better informed. We will have a modern system that meets European standards. Our goal is to integrate that system with other systems. of public transport, so it would be convenient to buy a ticket in Lithuania for public transport, railways and possibly other means: taxis, CityBee, scooters, etc. There will be an application and a platform line and automatic ticketing systems at the stations . It will be possible to buy without necessarily going through the box, “he said.

Construction of the Rail Baltica project continues this year.

“We have announced construction purchases for € 500 million. Proposals for the Neris Bridge from Kaunas to Latvia are currently being evaluated. This project is unique in that the bridge will be 1.5 km long and is one of the most complex in terms of engineering in the entire scope of Rail Baltica We will have an impressive bridge.

The line itself will also be built from Kaunas to Latvia. Special plans are being prepared on the section from Kaunas to Vilnius.

In 2021, we will complete all works on the Kaunas intermodal terminal. It has a connection with the European track. We will start commercial operations this year. It will work very well as a link between East and West. We have Chinese cargo where there is interest in recharging it and continuing to transport it to Europe. However, the entire Lithuanian business has the opportunity to use green railways instead of road transport, ”said M. Bartuška.

Rail Baltica includes a rail connection from Warsaw via Vilnius, Riga to Tallinn. Its volume is about 6 billion. The European Union is expected to receive a maximum of 85%. grant.

The head of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai also said that an architectural study of the capital’s station area should be carried out in 2021, the so-called Vilnius Connect project.

Vilnius Connect transforms the Soviet heritage into an open, mobile and friendly space for our passengers. Rail Baltica will be brought here, we will have high speed trains connecting us with Warsaw and Riga.

We see that the station district should undergo a major transformation. Therefore, we are already transferring our industrial activities (repair services) to our group companies. We will move them out of the city, leaving here only spaces that should be attractive to residents and travelers.

In 2021, we should conduct an architectural study that offers us visions of how the station space should be transformed. Here the best architects from all over Europe can participate. Consequently, we plan to have our own office next to the station. We participated in the contest together with the municipality “, recalled M. Bartuška.