Lithuania Train TravelLithuania Train TravelLithuania or Lietuva is officially the Republic of Lithuania or Lietuvos Respublika. Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania shares land borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the southwest. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km2 (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipeda. Lithuanians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living Baltic languages. Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of Europe and covers an area of 65,200 km2 (25,200 sq mi). It has around 99 kilometres (61.5 mi) of sandy coastline, only about 38 kilometres (24 mi) of which face the open Baltic Sea, less than the other two Baltic Sea countries. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major warm-water port, Klaipeda, lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon or Kuršiu marios, a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad. The country's main and largest river, the Nemunas River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping. Nemunas Delta Regional Park and Žuvintas biosphere reserve are known for birdwatching. Statistics of 2016 showed that 1.49 million tourists from foreign countries visited Lithuania and spent at least one night in the country. The largest number of tourists came from Germany (174,800), Belarus (171,900), Russia (150,600), Poland (148,400), Latvia (134,400), Ukraine (84,000), and the UK (58,200). Hot air ballooning is very popular in Lithuania, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially in Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. EuroVelo routes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. Total length of bicycle tracks amounts to 3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement). Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities-Vilnius, Klaipeda, and Kaunas, seaside resorts, such as Neringa, Palanga, and Spa towns - Druskininkai, Birštonas. Lithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when the Warsaw - Saint Petersburg Railway was constructed. It included a stretch from Daugavpils via Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operating tunnel was completed in 1860. Rail transport in Lithuania consists of 1,762 km (1,095 mi) of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11.8 in) Russian gauge railway of which 122 km (76 mi) are electrified. This railway network is incompatible with European standard gauge and requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has 115 km (71 mi) of standard gauge lines. Transportation is the third largest sector in Lithuanian economy. More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail. The Trans-European standard gauge Rail Baltica railway, linking Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warsaw and continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017, Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition. Lithuania Main Lines: Vilnius-Kaunas, 104 km (65 mi), first built in 1862, electrified in 1975. The fastest train takes 69 minutes, but following the Rail Baltica project completion, the travel time will be reduced to 38 minutes. Vilnius-Kaunas-Klaipeda, 376 km (234 mi), part of the line first built in 1870, electrification currently in progress. Vilnius-Riga-Tallinn and Vilnius-Warsaw passenger train routes are technically possible, but currently not practical due to limited speeds and long travel times. These routes will start following the completion of the Rail Baltica project. Marijampole Railway Station Marijampole railway station or Marijampoles geležinkelio stotis completed in 1924, is one of the most ornate buildings of such type in Lithuania. It was designed by Edmundas Frykas in Art Deco architectural style. The Port of Klaipeda is the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. In 2011 45.5 million tons of cargo were handled (including Butinge oil terminal figures). Port of Klaipeda is outside of EU's 20 largest ports, but it is the eighth largest port in the Baltic Sea region with ongoing expansion plans. Vilnius International Airport is the largest airport in Lithuania, 91st busiest airport in Europe. It served 3.8 million passengers in 2016. Other international airports include Kaunas International Airport, Palanga International Airport and Šiauliai International Airport. Kaunas International Airport is also a small commercial cargo airport which started regular commercial cargo traffic in 2011. The inland river cargo port in Marvele, linking Kaunas and Klaipeda, received first cargo in 2019. | |||||
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