Lithuanian Railways

Lietuvos geležinkeliai
Type	Group of public companies
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1860 (First Line) ; 1919 (Official)
Headquarters	Vilnius, Lithuania
Key people	Mantas Bartuška (General Manager); Romas Švedas (Chairman)
Products	Rail transport, Cargo transport, Services
Revenue	€468.2 million (2020)
Operating income	€46.3 million (2020)
Net income	€36.6 million (2020)
Total assets	€2.104 billion (2020)
Total equity	€1.163 billion (2020)
Owner	The Lithuanian state
Number of employees	8,999 (2020)
Website	www.litrail.lt/en/home

Lithuanian Railways administrative building in Vilnius

Siemens ER20 CF locomotive (red) and 2M62U locomotive (green) at the central station in Vilnius

TEP70 in Vilnius

Lithuanian Railways (Lithuanian: Lietuvos geležinkeliai) is the national, state-owned railway company of Lithuania. It operates most railway lines in the country.

Lithuanian Railways' main network consists of 1,749 km of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) broad gauge railway of which 152.4 km are electrified. They also operate 22 km of standard gauge railway and a ~100 km dual gauge (standard and broad) line from the Lithuania–Poland border to Kaunas.^[2] A 179 km 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) narrow gauge network, listed as an object of cultural heritage, was split off into a separate company Aukštaitijos Siaurasis Geležinkelis in 2001. 68 km of narrow gauge, serving five stations, are regularly used, employing 12 locomotives.

In 2020 Lithuanian Railways transported 3.34 million passengers and 53.4 million tonnes of freight. Oil and fertilizer are the main freight items carried.^[3]^[1]

History[]

In 1851, the government of Russia decided to build the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway. The line included a stretch from Daugavpils–Vilnius–Kaunas–Virbalis which was started in 1858 and finished in 1860. When the German army occupied Lithuania in 1915, the railway became the main supplier of foodstuff and ammunition for the German army.^{[citation needed]} Lithuanian railways were actually better after World War I than before it.^[4] Lithuanian independence was restored in 1918, and the Lithuanian government concluded an agreement with Germany by 1919 on the handover of the railway assets to the Ministry of Transport.

During the years after World War I, Lithuanian Railways reconstructed the tracks, connecting them into a complete network. In 1923 the Klaipėda region was reunited with Lithuania and the port of Klaipėda became a part of the Lithuanian railway system. In 1940, when the USSR occupied Lithuania, railway activities were reorganized and all agreements concluded by Lithuania with neighbouring countries terminated. In 1941, the Nazi occupying force changed most of the network from broad gauge to standard gauge. This was changed back by the Soviets in 1944. During Soviet times all of the Baltic states railways were managed from Riga. In 1991, the railways of the Baltic region were once again divided into separate railway companies.^[5]

Rolling stock[]

Škoda EJ575 at Kaunas Railway Station

Railcar PESA 620M

Locomotives and trainsets for use on Lithuanian Railways' main network (excluding Panevėžys-Rubikiai narrow gauge line) include:^[6]

Passenger locomotives[]

Class	Manufacturer	Year(s) built	Year(s) withdrawn	Number built	Traction	Maximum speed, km/h
	Kolomna Locomotive Works^[7]	1960	2011	12	Diesel	160
TEP70		1987	Still in service	4		160
TEP70BS		2006	Still in service	4		160

Freight locomotives[]

Class	Manufacturer	Year(s) built	Year(s) withdrawn	Number built	Traction	Maximum speed, km/h	Remarks
M62	Voroshilovgrad Locomotive Works	1970	Still in service	40	Diesel	100	Subclass M62K have new engines.
2M62		1976		74		100	Twin-section version of M62. Locomotives 2M62-0001 to 2M62-0752 are equipped with M62 headlights, 2M62-0756 or later are equipped with DM62 headlights, 2M62-565 or later is equipped with new snowploughs. Subclasses 2M62K and 2M62M have new engines.
2M62U		1987		22		100	Updated version of 2M62 based on newer DM62 design. Snowplough and headlights are the same as the later 2M62 have. They are also equipped with new fuel tanks and bogies without an axle box. Subclass 2M62UM have new engines.
ER20	Siemens	2007		44		120

Shunters[]

Class	Manufacturer	Year(s) built	Year(s) withdrawn	Number built	Traction	Maximum speed, km/h	Remarks
ČME3	ČKD	1964	Still in service	36	Diesel	95
ČME3M	ČKD	2008		23		90	Rebuilt ČME3 units.
		2009-2015		61		100
		2013		1		90

Diesel multiple units[]

Class	Manufacturer	Year(s) built	Year(s) withdrawn	Number built	Traction	Maximum speed, km/h	Remarks
D1	Ganz Works	1963	2013	24	Diesel	120	In 4-car formation.
DR1A	Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca	1973	Still in service	5		120	In 5- and 6-car formations. Based on earlier DR1P. Two different shapes of nose were built in different time (the older one is shown here). Example of later nose shape could be found at DR1AM line in this table.
DR1AM		1973		12		120	3-car formation adapted from DR1A. Equipped with new driving trailer carriages converted from trailer carriages in 1990s, the same conversions have been also made in other countries (named as DR1AM in Latvia/Ukraine/Georgia, DR1B/DR1BJ in Estonia, DRL1/MDP in Belarus).
AR2		1997		1		120	1-car railbus.
RA2	Metrowagonmash	2008		4		100	In 2- and 3-car formations.
	Pesa	2009		12		120	1-car railcar
		2013		3		140	In 2-car formation.
		2016		7		140	In 3-car formation.

Electric multiple units[]

Class	Manufacturer	Year(s) built	Year(s) withdrawn	Number built	Traction	Maximum speed, km/h	Remarks	Image
ER9M	Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca	1976	Still in service	2	Electric	130	In 4-car formation.
EJ575	Škoda Transportation	2008	Still in service	13	Electric	160	In 2- and 3-car formations.

Network[]

Electrification[]

Lithuania has chosen to electrify using 25 kV 50 Hz AC. Electrification is used only for commuter traffic between Vilnius - Kaunas, Vilnius - Trakai and Vilnius - Minsk as well from late 2017.

Electrifed lines as in 2016

Rail links with adjacent countries[]

Belarus
Kaliningrad (Russia)
Latvia
Poland – break-of-gauge, 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) / 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "AB „Lietuvos geležinkeliai" Metinė ataskaita" (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos geležinkeliai. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
^ The line was scheduled to be finished by the end of 2015. See Rail Baltica project page for more details
^ Railway Operations in Lithuania
^ MÜLLER, Uwe. "Railways in northern East Central Europe before, during and after the First World War". Digital Encyclopedia of European History.
^ The History Pages of Lithuanian Railways^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "LG locomotives and trainsets". 2014-12-12. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
^ "History: 1959-1977". kolomnadiesel.com. PJSC Kolomensky Zavod. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

External links[]

Official website
Winchester, Clarence, ed. (8 November 1935), "Estonia and Lithuania", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 1292–1298, an account of the railways of Estonia and Lithuania in the 1930s

[Year20-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "AB „Lietuvos geležinkeliai" Metinė ataskaita" (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Lietuvos geležinkeliai. Retrieved 12 May 2021.

[2] The line was scheduled to be finished by the end of 2015. See Rail Baltica project page for more details

[3] Railway Operations in Lithuania

[4] MÜLLER, Uwe. "Railways in northern East Central Europe before, during and after the First World War". Digital Encyclopedia of European History.

[5] The History Pages of Lithuanian Railways^{[permanent dead link]}

[6] "LG locomotives and trainsets". 2014-12-12. Retrieved 22 March 2015.

[7] "History: 1959-1977". kolomnadiesel.com. PJSC Kolomensky Zavod. Retrieved 24 March 2015.

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