When the information about the Vilnius-Warsaw train route appeared, the demand for the latter was huge. The first train tickets were sold out instantly - it was almost impossible to buy a ticket in Lithuania. Passenger interest in the route has not decreased in recent months. After all, for some people, traveling by bus or car, for example, causes a lot of inconvenience - during the trip you only need to sit, you cannot stand up or walk, small children cannot move freely. There are no such restrictions on the train. According to Vilnius Gediminas University of Technology (VILNIUS TECH) innovator, associate professor of the Department of Logistics and Transport Management Dr. Kristinas Čižiūnienė, the attractiveness and competitiveness of the route can be increased even more, but certain infrastructural and technical issues need to be resolved. So the question arises - what are they?
The significance of the route for the communication system
According to the docent of VILNIUS TECH, the opened route is extremely significant for the transportation system, and the latter will only increase after the European railway "Rail Baltica" is built. It will ensure direct communication with European Union (EU) countries, promote sustainable mobility that meets the challenges of green logistics.
"Once the goals set in the Rail Baltica project are implemented, the distances between the capitals located in the Baltic region, from a time perspective, will disappear. Considering the fact that people are more and more inclined to travel to neighboring countries, the Vilnius-Warsaw train route and the new railway track built in the future will provide opportunities to travel not only for work or study purposes. On the contrary, it is an opportunity for short-term tourist or sightseeing trips. In my opinion, the emergence of these alternatives will encourage members of society to be more interested in environmentally friendly travel," says the VILNIUS TECH innovator.
Route changes are possible
K. Čižiūnienė emphasizes that from the perspective of passengers, they always wanted to travel quickly and comfortably. Unfortunately, today, passengers on the Vilnius-Warsaw route are still not provided with full comfort and possible travel speed. It is planned that after the construction of Rail Baltica, the design speed of trains could reach up to 250 km/h. Then it would be possible to reach the Polish capital in about 4 hours. Time will tell how realistic this will be, since the road in Poland, especially from Šeštoki to Warsaw, is quite winding and the speed of the trains reaches about 40 km/h, which, in turn, affects the travel time.
"In order to shorten the travel time, the transfer issue should also be resolved - today it takes about 30 minutes, but due to unforeseen circumstances it may take longer. Various infrastructural changes are taking place in both countries, but at different paces and levels," emphasizes the VILNIUS TECH innovator.
According to the assistant professor, in order to improve the route, first of all, services of the same profile should be provided in both countries during the trip - Wi-Fi, guaranteed operation of charging sockets for electrical devices, the possibility of purchasing food and drinks during the entire trip. There is also a secure place to store larger suitcases.
"Improving the route should eliminate all possible language barriers and challenges in providing information to passengers." Information along the entire route should be provided in Lithuanian, Polish, and English. Although the transfer does not take very long, it takes place on the platform under the open sky, but for the sake of greater passenger comfort, one should think about providing a closed room or at least a canopy so that the weather conditions do not become a challenge for travelers. One more thing - taking into account the fact that there are currently 5 stops in Lithuania, and the Warsaw Central Railway of the station – 14, the number of stops should be reduced in Poland. Because of that, the journey takes much longer", K. Čižiūnienė points out.
Technical solutions implemented on the Vilnius–Warsaw route
According to the docent, the infrastructure was maintained on the section of the route, sections were electrified, systems were modernized, noise isolation or noise-reflecting walls were installed in settlements, etc. There are many technological challenges associated with railway design and construction. For example, land acquisition issues, large turning radii, winding road sections, intersections with residential areas, road transport, modernization of level crossings, bridges, culverts, modern traffic management systems, etc.
"Some good ideas can remain just ideas, and that will affect the speed of the trains as well." Vilnius is not in a good geographical position from a geographical point of view, but since this city is the capital of the country, it got a great opportunity to connect to the main section of Rail Baltica. This will mean that we will be able to travel to the capitals and cities of other countries with or without one transfer. True, in keeping with the direction of the green course and in order to meet travelers' expectations, it will be necessary to invest in modern, comfortable electric trains. All these changes are necessary in order to ensure sustainable mobility of passengers and to implement the principles of green logistics", K. Čižiūnienė points out.
