Lithuania nears completion of Vilnius–Klaipėda rail electrification

The roughly 730 km Vilnius–Klaipėda line is Lithuania's most heavily used rail corridor; its electrification is meant to raise the share of electrified track nationwide from 8% to 28%. The core Kaišiadorys–Klaipėda section was over 95% complete by early 2026 according to ministry/press reports, and in summer 2026 an electric train made its first test run on the Kaišiadorys–Žeimiai sub-section (about 39 km). Full completion of construction is expected by mid/late 2026, with regular electric train service planned to start in 2027. Update (22 Sep 2026): According to the LTG Group, about 99% of the work is complete; in early April 2026 the figure was around 97%, when an electric train first ran on the Kaišiadorys–Žeimiai section (39.3 km) and nearly 40 tests were announced. LTG now puts the total value at about EUR 457 million (of which about EUR 200 million from the EU Cohesion Fund), compared with EUR 493 million in the April report; the project was made harder by supply problems after the war in Ukraine began, safety-related restrictions on equipment and working alongside live train services. No precise completion date is given; the electrification is expected to pay for itself within 19 years. (LOK Report, 2 Apr 2026 and 22 Sep 2026) Update (25 Oct 2026): According to Transport Minister Juras Taminskas, electrification of the Vilnius-Klaipėda line is to be completed in November 2026; the new Stadler trains are then also to serve that route, aiming for a journey time of under four hours (LRT English, 22 Oct 2026).