The EU’s Council of Ministers has approved the construction of a European-gauge railway to the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda. The newly approved railway is part of the revised TEN-T regulation.
According to the Lithuanian transport ministry, the European-gauge railway to Klaipėda will improve transport and logistics links in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe. Moreover, it will provide a viable alternative to road transport, and help diversify the Lithuanian seaport’s operations, as well as open up new markets.
The Klaipeda railway will be part of the new Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea TEN-T corridor. “The inclusion of the European-gauge railway line to Klaipėda in the new TEN-T regulation is a solid achievement of and for our country, and the entire Baltic region that will help speed up the development of infrastructure that is important for the whole of Europe,” said deputy transport minister Loreta Maskaliovienė.
Besides the Klaipeda railway, the TEN-T network also includes key international road and rail links in Lithuania, such as Rail Baltica, the Via Baltica and Vilnius-Klaipėda motorways, the Kaunas intermodal terminal, the port of Klaipėda, and the airports of Vilnius, Kaunas, and Palanga.
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