Initially, trains on this route stopped in Kaišiadorys, Šiauliai, Joniškis and Latvia’s Jelgava. On 1 April, Jonava and Kėdainiai were added to the route. As of 15 December, travellers can also board the Riga-bound train in Radviliškis.
"The route is a success, maintaining its popularity throughout the year. The extra stops on the way to Riga have also paid off: around 4,000 passengers travelled from Jonava and Kėdainiai to Latvia and back," LTG Link CEO Kristina Meidė says.
Olga Gončarova, head of the national tourism promotion agency Travel Lithuania, said the route has proven very beneficial for the tourism sector.
"The train service between Vilnius and Riga this year has made it more convenient and sustainable for tourists from Latvia to travel to Lithuania. In the first three quarters of 2024, we welcomed 106,000 Latvian tourists in our accommodation establishments. It is clear that such connectivity solutions strengthen tourism links among the Baltic States," she said.
In early 2024, then Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis hinted at the regular train service between Vilnius and Tallinn.
LTG Link, the passenger transport company of the LTG Group, in early December said it is progressing rapidly toward connecting Vilnius to Tallinn via Riga. The three Baltic carriers – LTG Link, Vivi, and Elron – have coordinated train schedules to ensure connectivity between the three capitals. Until now, it has been impossible to travel by train from Vilnius to Tallinn in a single day, reports LTG (Lithuanian Railways).
In the initial phase, the passengers should reach Tallinn from Vilnius with two transfers as the train schedules of all three carriers align.