The Vilnius-Riga passenger train, which started operating two months ago, could stop in more Lithuanian cities if the journey duration could be kept the same, says the new passenger transport company of the Lietuvos Geležinkėlių Group (LTG).LTG Link" manager Kristina Meidė.
Currently, the daily journey between Vilnius and Riga takes a little more than 4 hours. Now they stop in Kaišiadorys, Šiauliai, Joniškis and the Latvian city of Jelgava.
"The initial desire was to be very competitive in time, so the number of stops was set as necessary - so that customers can transfer from other cities, so that the stops are where there are the most potential customers," said K. Meidė in an interview with BNS.
"I really don't hide that today we are considering and calculating various possibilities. If there was an opportunity to have a few more stops without wasting time, we would definitely consider it. (…) As soon as we have the answers, we will certainly announce them, but this is being considered," said the manager of LTG Link.
According to K. Meide, the company is currently evaluating the results of the first months and conducting a customer survey.
Residents and local politicians raise the question of why the Vilnius-Riga train does not stop in Kėdainiai or Jonava in the regional press and social networks. It is also intended to be discussed at the next meeting of the Economic Committee of the Seimas.
Previously, a direct train between Vilnius and Riga ran until January 2004. From September 2018 to March 2020 - the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic - Vilnius and Riga were connected by a Ukrainian railway train running between Kyiv and the capital of Latvia. According to LTG, Vilnius and Riga were sometimes episodically connected by longer train routes of carriers from other countries.
Author Giedrius Gaidamavičius
