Lithuanian state-owned rail freight operator, LTG Cargo, recently started transporting petroleum products between Bugeniai, in Luthiania, and Valga, in Estonia. The initiative is another reflection of how operators in the Baltic are looking to diversify their operations due to loss of cargo to and from Russia and Belarus. The launch of operations was preceded by […]
Category: Lithuania
Latvia bans agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus
Latvia has banned agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus. The Baltic country is the first EU country to go as far as to introduce a total ban on Russian agricultural products. The ban will last until 2025 at the very least. Russia’s neighbouring Baltic country was one of the biggest importers of Russian grain in […]
Rail Baltica Estonia signs new contracts, optimistic about progress
Rail Baltica Estonia has signed new construction contracts for a part of the Rail Baltica mainline in the northernmost Baltic country. According to the project’s organisation, the newly signed contracts covering 16 kilometres of its Estonian section are a ‘significant milestone’. The organisation also expresses optimistism about the construction progress of the rail line. The […]
LTG Cargo runs first cross-Baltic cargo train pilot
Lithuanian rail operator LTG Cargo has run its first continuous pilot train across all Baltic countries. It is the company’s first independently run cargo train traversing all three Baltic states. As Baltic rail operators have faced financial difficulties due to a loss of freight from and to Russia and Belarus, they seek to diversify their […]
Estonian Operail announces full privatisation in order to save itself
Estonian national rail operator Operail has announced a new business strategy that involves full privatisation. The privatisation is a necessary step to find additional financial sources. According to the company, privatisation will also enable the expansion of operations into foreign markets. Operail has been struggling financially after the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
Lithuania and Poland seek regular rail freight route to Ukraine
Lithuania and Poland have expressed their wish for a regular rail freight route to Ukraine. The respective ministers of transport met in Warsaw on Monday to discuss the issue. Such a new route would help establish a reliable corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain through Baltic ports. According to Lithuanian minister of transport Marius […]
LTG Cargo sees freight volumes defy expectations amid sanction struggles
Lithuanian rail freight operator LTG Cargo transported 27.2 million tonnes of freight in 2023. Total volumes exceeded expectations by 2.5 million tonnes. In the difficult business environment following sanctions on neighbouring Russia and Belarus, LTG Cargo did not foresee such volumes. According to the company, the sector has seen turbulent years due to the implementation […]