The progress of the Rail Baltica project: the actualities of the implementation presented – AINA

At the invitation of Mayor Antanas Pocias to Panevėžys district municipality (26.03.2024) the experts of the company “LTG Infra”, which implements the “Rail Baltica” project in Lithuania, arrived. The purpose of the meeting is to get acquainted with the latest information on the development of the railway infrastructure of the special national importance project “Rail Baltica” in Panevėžys.

Representatives of the Panevėžys District Public Interest Protection Group led by Tomas Rutkauskas came to present their position in the discussion.

The meeting was attended by the administrative director of the Panevėžys district municipality, Edmundas Toliušis, the head of the Architecture Department, Donatas Malinauskas, and the head of the Territorial Planning and Architecture Department of the Panevėžys City Municipality, Saulius Glinskis.

Residents’ opinions were heard and questions were answered by Rail Baltica program manager Vytautas Tilinskas, project preparation manager Jonas Treinys, LTG’s communication partner for the Rail Baltica project Gintarė Žalytė-Štarienė.

V. Tilinskas presented the progress of the implementation of the special plan for the Panevėžys railway node, the nearest plans and implementation deadlines relevant to the residents, the impact of the development of this node on the region and the nuances of project financing.

According to the head of the “Rail Baltica” program, in cooperation with the interested institutions, the Department of Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Lithuania, it was possible to agree that the railway track detailed in the special plan for the construction of the Panevėžys railway junction should be shifted to the eastern side, pushing the planned track closer to the narrow one.

It is expected that the shift of the planned route should allow the preservation of all residential buildings in the territory of the “Šilas” garden community. The final solutions will become clear after the completion of the preparation of the concrete solutions of the special plan.

Not all the statements of the representatives of the company “LTG Infra” convinced the representatives of the initiative group. The latter presented their arguments against alternative no. 1, which, according to them, would cause the greatest damage to residents, farmers, businesses and nature falling within the zone of influence of the track built on the outskirts of the city.

According to the leader of the initiative group, T. Rutkauskas, implementing alternative no. 2, the same goals of the project would be achieved, but with much smaller funds, with much less damage to the social, economic and natural environment, landscape.

Mayor A. Pocius said that the position of the Panevėžys district municipality is to seek the best solution that meets the interests of the residents and the goals of the implemented project.

V. Tilinskas explained that the approved alternative no. 1 specific solutions. They will be presented to the public and other interested parties at the end of the summer.

All interested parties will have the opportunity within two months to familiarize themselves with the solutions of the special plan and submit reasoned proposals for plan corrections.

In order to achieve the greatest possible public involvement and information, not only procedural but also additional meetings with city and district municipalities and communities are planned in order to answer all the questions that arise.

Inf. of Panevėžys district municipality.