On Monday, 13 October, in Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, a feasibility study on Vilnius connection‘s affect to Rail Baltica project was presented, the Ministry’s press center says. The study, conducted by international engineering solutions company AECOM, took into account the projected passenger and cargo revenues along with added value figures and concluded that Vilnius connection will have an impact on the overall well of the Baltic countries.
“The study confirmed arguments that we have been making for a while i.e. Vilnius connection is an important economic factor in the Baltic States, therefore, fully exploit capital’s potential can make a positive contribution to the whole project“, - said Rimantas Sinkevičius, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania.
In June, 2014, the representatives of the Baltic countries mutually agreed to include Vilnius in the shareholders’ agreement. In addition, it was agreed that, during project implementation, the countries will try to obtain the EU funding for Vilnius connection as well.
In April, SWECO conducted an analysis on the basis of environmental, social and economical factors and identified the optimal alternative for Vilnius connection. According to the results, the most efficient option is to connect Vilnius and Kaunas directly.
AECOM study, examining in detail the technical-economic parameters and future prospects of Vilnius connection, highlighted that railway stations in central Vilnius and Kaunas city stations, Vilnius airport and near Kaunas airport should be built and connect both: cities and airports. It is expected that this type of connection will have a great potential.
The study offers an argument for consideration by project partners and the European Commission. In addition, it provides reasonable grounds to apply for the EU funding for the Vilnius connection.
Under the EU‘s Single European Transport Area development plan, the capitals of Europe have to be connected by a multi-modal connection. Vilnius produces 40 percent of GDP in Lithuania, ranks first in term of the population and have the highest number of logistic centres. Therefore, Vilnius connection could encourage passengers and businesses to choose more the Rail Baltica railway, increase the flow of trains and improve the total economic value of the project. The connection between Vilnius and Kaunas cities as well as between the airports would be improved.