Minister of Transport Marius Skoudis asserts that he hopes that from the new train schedule, that is, around December, it will be possible to talk about a shorter trip on the Vilnius-Warsaw train route, which would last eight hours, instead of the current nine.
"I expect from the new train schedule, which is a year from now, around December. The plan is to try to shorten the entire route to eight hours, and in the future, of course, with Rail Baltica it should be twice as short, i.e. to four hours", - on Tuesday Vilnius railway station said M. Skuodis.
"Those steps are being taken and this is in the context of our agreement with the Polish minister, everything in certain stages, in certain stages, starting with what we have and what we can do here and now. And after that, we are already improving, we are improving the whole system", he added.
Before leaving for Warsaw by train, the minister said that he chose this way of travel in order to find out and feel for himself the advantages and disadvantages of this type of travel. He explained that a 9-hour trip, although it seems like a lot, but with a long-distance connection, a lot of work can be done while going to Warsaw.
"On the one hand, 9 hours is a lot. But at the same time, it is the same as sitting at work with documents. And when remote communication is really everywhere today, I will definitely try it and hope that it will be possible to work peacefully all this time. We booked the ticket a couple of weeks ago. We will try the comforts of the other train as well, whether we will be able to get a compartment. We will just try everything", the politician assured.
"We look to the future, to the perspective, and I really hope that the new train schedule, which will be in December, will really shorten the duration of the route. The railways carry out certain purchases, during which they will purchase a new locomotive and the transfer, when traveling from Vilnius, will be only Beautiful. And if we are already leaving from Kaunas, then we will be able to travel to Warsaw without a transfer," he added.
ELTA reminds that M. Skuodis went to Poland on Tuesday to participate in an international conference in Warsaw to discuss the importance of the railway sector for European security.
During the visit, the minister will also meet with the coordinator of the Rail Baltica project at the European Commission and the managers of the LOT airline company.
The minister will travel to the Polish capital by train, which started last December on a new route Vilnius-Kaunas-Mockava-Warsaw.
The Ministry announces that on January 18 At the international conference held in Warsaw, political, military, transport sector leaders and experts will discuss the development of the railway sector in the Three Seas region, which connects 12 European Union (EU) states between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. Minister M. Skuodis will participate in the speakers' discussion "The importance of railway projects in the Three Seas region, strengthening the security and resilience of the EU and its neighbors".
During the visit, the minister will meet with Catherine Trautmann, the coordinator of the Rail Baltica project in the European Commission, and Marcin Horala, the state secretary of the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, as well as with the managers of the country's LOT airline company.
Ignas Dobrovolskas (ELTA)
