The Lithuanian Government approved the infrastructure development plan for the Rail Baltica’s Panevėžys railway node for which it was agreed to launch the procedures for land acquisition for public needs, which is expected to last until the end of 2027.
“The international passenger station and other new railway infrastructure will bring significant benefits to the entire Panevėžys region and its residents. During the complex planning stage of this Rail Baltica node, one of the most important decisions was to preserve all 23 residential buildings in the territory of the Šilas garden community during the construction of the European-gauge Rail Baltica railway line in the vicinity of Panevėžys,” said Mindaugas Tarnauskas, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania.
According to the approved engineering infrastructure development plan for the Panevėžys railway node, a Rail Baltica international passenger station is planned in the western part of the city, next to the existing transport hub, the bypass. Up to 80 passenger trains per day are planned to run on the railway tracks to this station, carrying up to 4800 passengers.
At the end of October, the Environmental Impact Assessment Report on the construction and operation of the Panevėžys railway node infrastructure was presented to the public. According to the report, the planned economic activity would enable better use of public transport benefits: it would attract more passengers to railways, reducing the use of private cars, emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases, the likelihood of road accidents and the travel time to Panevėžys.
“When planning the infrastructure of the Panevėžys railway node, the first alternative was selected as the most beneficial based on a multi-criteria cost-benefit analysis. Later, the railway line was shifted to preserve residential buildings. During the preparatory phase, we ensured the best accessibility of Panevėžys in the future,” Justas Vyžintas, LTG Infra Head for Rail Baltica Management, said.
New railway infrastructure, which includes a cargo station, an infrastructure maintenance depot, cargo terminals, cargo and military equipment yards, and a regional passenger station, is also planned near Gustonys.
Support for the first alternative, which foresees an international Rail Baltica station in Panevėžys, has already been expressed earlier by the Panevėžys City Business Council and the Panevėžys Region Industrialists Association. According to them, the Rail Baltica Panevėžys node will create significant added value for the development of the city and the region, and organizations from the public, private, non-governmental and other sectors will experience significant benefits in terms of attracting and retaining employees or new talent in the region.
A total of three Rail Baltica international passenger stations are planned on Lithuania’s territory, in Vilnius, Kaunas and Panevėžys.
Only one last special plan for the Kaunas – Vilnius railway line remains to be approved in Lithuania. It is also expected that this plan will soon be submitted to the Government for approval.
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