The Rail Baltica Design Division of LTG Infra, the infrastructure company of the LTG Group, has officially begun design work on the Kaunas Node section. This is one of the most complex sections of the Poland–Latvia corridor due to its surrounding urbanized and natural areas.
Last year, LTG Infra took the initiative to establish a centre of excellence for high-speed rail design, which will complement and strengthen market capabilities. In the long term, this division — having accumulated experience in the design of high-speed railways and modern infrastructure – will be able to offer its expertise beyond Lithuania, as well as contribute to the further expansion of the European standard gauge network.
Strategic Node
The Kaunas Node is a complex section of the international Rail Baltica line. First, Kaunas is located at a strategic point where the European gauge (1,435 mm) and the existing broad gauge (1,520 mm) intersect, requiring solutions to integrate these different railway systems.
Second, the project is being implemented in a densely urbanized area, where it is necessary to coordinate the new infrastructure with existing roads and utilities.
Extensive infrastructure is planned for the Kaunas Node, including the development of the Palemonas Intermodal Terminal, Palemonas Railway Station infrastructure development, and a bridge over the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. Finally, the projects must comply with the European Union (EU) TEN‑T network standards, making the Kaunas Node not only a technical challenge but also a logistical and planning one.
Vytis Žalimas, CEO of LTG Infra, emphasizes that the division operates according to a model successfully implemented in Europe some design work will continue to be carried out through open tenders, while other tasks will be completed using internal resources.
“This ensures rapid, continuous infrastructure development. This is particularly relevant in such urbanized areas, where fundamental decisions must be made first, and their design can be carried out with the support of partners in this field,” says V. Žalimas.
Kaunas is a particularly important node on Lithuania’s Rail Baltica line. “Once the high-speed rail line is built, Kaunas International Station will serve more passengers daily than Vilnius and approximately three times as many passengers as it does now, so Kaunas will become an important logistics hub,” says Mykolas Dumbrava, Head of the Rail Baltica Design Division.
Engineering Class
The Rail Baltica Design Division, established last year, has attracted specialists with experience in high-speed rail design and has even encouraged Lithuanians who had been working in countries with high-speed rail lines to return to work in Lithuania.
In addition, to enhance the prestige of engineering careers in Lithuania and encourage more young people to choose STEM fields, an educational program for students, Engineering Class, was launched. During the program, LTG Infra employees return to their alma mater schools to present the project as an attractive future career opportunity.
Inspiring young people to pursue engineering studies or take an interest in infrastructure projects, design, and safety solutions is a pressing task, as the number of students enrolling in science and engineering programs in Lithuania continues to decline each year.
“The goal of the Design Division is to ensure the rapid implementation of projects, as well as to design other railway lines and infrastructure projects needed in Lithuania, involving both foreign specialists and Lithuanians returning from abroad, as well as future engineers, whom we are already encouraging to pursue engineering studies and contribute to the economic growth of the Baltic region,” says Dumbrava, Head of the Design Division.