Lithuania sticks to 2030 Rail Baltica deadline despite Baltic agreement to extend it

VILNIUS - Lithuania is sticking to its original 2030 deadline for the first phase of the Rail Baltica project despite a Baltic agreement to extend the deadline to 2034, the country's transport minister said, according to business news portal Verslo Zinios.

Transport Minister Juras Taminskas said Lithuania aims to complete the section from Kaunas to Panevezys by 2030, citing the project's critical importance for connectivity, security, military mobility and economic competitiveness.

Mindaugas Ivanavicius, head of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, told the portal that LTG Infra, the infrastructure arm of the Lithuanian Railways group responsible for the project, is maintaining its pace, with design, procurement and construction work under way.

The statement follows remarks by Latvian official Andris Kulbergas last week, who said the 2030 deadline was unrealistic, leading all three Baltic states to agree to postpone the first phase until 2034. This marked the first official acknowledgement by the Baltic states that the 2030 target was no longer feasible.

The first phase, connecting the Baltic states to Europe with a single track, is estimated to cost 15.3 billion euros. The total cost, including the installation of a second track, could reach 23.8 billion euros.

Rail Baltica will link Tallinn, Parnu, Riga, Panevezys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw. The Lithuanian section will span 392 kilometres.