Excellent. I lived in Helsinki in the 1980's and always wanted to cross the Gulf go Finland to Talinn and down through the Baltic countries, I look forward to doing it. Great video.
I know, Lithuania is not among the easiest country names to pronounce in English, but it's Li-thu-ania, not "Lituthania" ;) Good video nonetheless. Having Vilnius-Riga service reinstated after ~20 years is quite a big deal here. Thanks for showing it. Also, a couple of small corrections, if I may. Pesa 730ML has max speed of 140 km/h, not 156 km/h. As for ticket prices between Šiauliai ant Vilnius, they differ not because local vs international trains, but rather because of train rolling stock types. Some trains are non-accessible push-pull trype of trains which I personally prefer due to more comfortable ride and more space inside, but they can be problematic for people with limited mobility. There is also a Pesa 630 which is 2nd class only with rather uncomfortable seats. And there are also some more Pesa 730MLs, just like the one that goes to Riga. It's also used on Vilnius-Klaipėda route which also goes via Šiauliai. And, finally the average speed. It's not 75 km/h, but rather around 84 km/h, which is not very fast, but just about acceptable and comparable to journey times by bus or car, unless the train is delayed of course. Looking forward to your video from Vilnius-Warsaw train.
Looking forward to Rail Baltica being finished. I was living in Warsaw just a few years ago and looked into travelling north, but it seemed very inconvenient...
Actually I think things can be improved already without the rail Baltica by just having better connections and upgrade some tracks. Of course in some parts having a high speed line is great, in Poland a big part has been finished already but it is possible to have tracks on 2 different track gauges (I’ll refer to that in another future video for Vilnius - Warsaw and also in Spain I noticed this on some tracks, between Castellon de la Plana and Valencia, so It is possible to adopt the tracks faster and make travel easier, high speed line is great in some sections but should be the second step.
@@Trainviking I experienced the different gauges when I travelled by train from Poland to Ukraine in 2019. It was a little slow, which I didn't mind, and I really enjoyed that trip! 👍
Lituthania would be way easier for everybody, instead of Lithuania haha (wish we could change it to Lituania, life would be nice) Thank you for the video, it's very cool!
I really enjoyed your video. I will be taking the same trip from Riga to Vilnius, but I find having to take the train in the late afternoon and not arriving until later in the evening, is a waste of a pretty much a whole day. So I will take the Lux Express bus instead. I will be continuing on to Kaunas, so will go by train from Vilnius to Kaunas. Thanks for taking me with you, on your trip
It is, they're just still waiting on certification for their Stadler FLIRT trains to be able to run in Latvia and that's taking a (very long) while. Last thing I read they're hoping to start the service in Summer(?) Anyways, for the time being the new synchronized express service to Valga is starting Jan 6 of 2025 so at least there's that.
I honestly think things can be improved on this as well. I’ve heard on some other TH-cam channels that this train between Riga and Vilnius was also a challenge to get it started on the track because of Latvian authorities. Somehow I would have expected that the Skoda trains will be suitable for this route because you also fine them in Latvia (I think a big part of these trains can use both diesel engines and also electric overhead wires but I’m not sure about that). The electricity on the overhead wires in Latvia and Estonia is the same so this should make things easier for duo mode trains. Okay I really need to do some more research on this for the Tallin - Riga video. Thanks for the updates. Good information for the Tallin - Riga video.
@@Trainviking I guess it’s just the nature of bureaucracy to take its time! 😉 Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the process is as long - or even longer - in Estonia and Lithuania. The fact that cross-border certifications are relatively rare probably adds to the delays. It’s true that Estonia’s and Latvia’s Škoda trains are very similar under the hood, but unfortunately, none are equipped with diesel engines. These trains were intended to run on Riga’s commuter lines and Estonia’s regional and commuter routes (like Tallinn-Tartu and Tallinn-Narva), where electrification is already underway. So, while they are compatible with the electric infrastructure, they can’t help with routes requiring diesel power. Interestingly, the original plan was to include the Tartu-Valga stretch in the electrification of the Tallinn-Tartu line. Sadly, budget constraints delayed this. As a result, even after electrification is completed, trains running to Valga will likely remain Stadler FLIRT units. A nerdy detail: once the Tartu electrification is finished, it’s possible that a Valga-Tartu train could run on diesel and then couple with a Tartu-Tallinn Škoda train. This coupling approach is already common on the Tallinn-Tartu line due to high demand-trains are split on arrival, with one continuing to Valga and the other returning to Tallinn. On a more positive note, there's been news that Latvia’s passenger operator ViVi plans to rent Lithuania’s LTG Link train, which currently operates between Vilnius and Riga, and extend it to Valga. The Pesa 730ML model is already certified for use in Estonia, making it a neat interim solution. Unfortunately, extending this service to Tallinn isn’t feasible due to capacity constraints, but it’s still a significant improvement while we wait for the Tallinn-Riga connection. I know this is a bit of an infodump, but I hope there’s something here you’ll find useful for your video! 😏
nice ride i plan on doing one of these days, maybe when the days gets longer 3rd class in lithuania really is 2nd class but with no assigned/reserved seats
LTG LINK can't now put more carriages on this route because we don't have a big amount of trains. Maybe in 2026 there will be double Pesa trains. Because in 2025 Stadler will deliver to Lithuania 15 new trains.
@marcinklimas2670 No, we only have only ER20 CF in operation. We have only a few of passenger wagons, but they are in exploitation only on route Vilnius - Klaipėda. They in poor condition (except 1 class).
Absolutely I took that ferry. Although I have some videos on trains and connect that will be refurbished soon, so it might take a while before I’ll upload that video.
Excellent. I lived in Helsinki in the 1980's and always wanted to cross the Gulf go Finland to Talinn and down through the Baltic countries, I look forward to doing it. Great video.
Sounds great!
I know, Lithuania is not among the easiest country names to pronounce in English, but it's Li-thu-ania, not "Lituthania" ;)
Good video nonetheless. Having Vilnius-Riga service reinstated after ~20 years is quite a big deal here. Thanks for showing it.
Also, a couple of small corrections, if I may. Pesa 730ML has max speed of 140 km/h, not 156 km/h. As for ticket prices between Šiauliai ant Vilnius, they differ not because local vs international trains, but rather because of train rolling stock types. Some trains are non-accessible push-pull trype of trains which I personally prefer due to more comfortable ride and more space inside, but they can be problematic for people with limited mobility. There is also a Pesa 630 which is 2nd class only with rather uncomfortable seats. And there are also some more Pesa 730MLs, just like the one that goes to Riga. It's also used on Vilnius-Klaipėda route which also goes via Šiauliai.
And, finally the average speed. It's not 75 km/h, but rather around 84 km/h, which is not very fast, but just about acceptable and comparable to journey times by bus or car, unless the train is delayed of course.
Looking forward to your video from Vilnius-Warsaw train.
Glad you mentioned that 👍 - I was also going to say something about "Lituthenia"... 🙂
Littleweenia is a cute name for a country though
Hahaha thanks for letting me know.
Looking forward to Rail Baltica being finished. I was living in Warsaw just a few years ago and looked into travelling north, but it seemed very inconvenient...
Actually I think things can be improved already without the rail Baltica by just having better connections and upgrade some tracks. Of course in some parts having a high speed line is great, in Poland a big part has been finished already but it is possible to have tracks on 2 different track gauges (I’ll refer to that in another future video for Vilnius - Warsaw and also in Spain I noticed this on some tracks, between Castellon de la Plana and Valencia, so
It is possible to adopt the tracks faster and make travel easier, high speed line is great in some sections but should be the second step.
@@Trainviking I experienced the different gauges when I travelled by train from Poland to Ukraine in 2019. It was a little slow, which I didn't mind, and I really enjoyed that trip! 👍
Lituthania would be way easier for everybody, instead of Lithuania haha
(wish we could change it to Lituania, life would be nice)
Thank you for the video, it's very cool!
If you travel in this weather, then you really like to travel!
Haha I really like to travel indeed and time wise this was somehow a good thing.
17:09 DAUGAVA river!
Thanks
Excellent video
Glad you liked it
I really enjoyed your video. I will be taking the same trip from Riga to Vilnius, but I find having to take the train in the late afternoon and not arriving until later in the evening, is a waste of a pretty much a whole day. So I will take the Lux Express bus instead. I will be continuing on to Kaunas, so will go by train from Vilnius to Kaunas. Thanks for taking me with you, on your trip
As a Tallinn resident... I wish Elron followed through with the plans to run Tallinn-Riga trains but that doesn't seem like it's happening.
It is, they're just still waiting on certification for their Stadler FLIRT trains to be able to run in Latvia and that's taking a (very long) while. Last thing I read they're hoping to start the service in Summer(?) Anyways, for the time being the new synchronized express service to Valga is starting Jan 6 of 2025 so at least there's that.
I honestly think things can be improved on this as well. I’ve heard on some other TH-cam channels that this train between Riga and Vilnius was also a challenge to get it started on the track because of Latvian authorities.
Somehow I would have expected that the Skoda trains will be suitable for this route because you also fine them in Latvia (I think a big part of these trains can use both diesel engines and also electric overhead wires but I’m not sure about that). The electricity on the overhead wires in Latvia and Estonia is the same so this should make things easier for duo mode trains.
Okay I really need to do some more research on this for the Tallin - Riga video. Thanks for the updates. Good information for the Tallin - Riga video.
@@Trainviking I guess it’s just the nature of bureaucracy to take its time! 😉 Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the process is as long - or even longer - in Estonia and Lithuania. The fact that cross-border certifications are relatively rare probably adds to the delays.
It’s true that Estonia’s and Latvia’s Škoda trains are very similar under the hood, but unfortunately, none are equipped with diesel engines. These trains were intended to run on Riga’s commuter lines and Estonia’s regional and commuter routes (like Tallinn-Tartu and Tallinn-Narva), where electrification is already underway. So, while they are compatible with the electric infrastructure, they can’t help with routes requiring diesel power.
Interestingly, the original plan was to include the Tartu-Valga stretch in the electrification of the Tallinn-Tartu line. Sadly, budget constraints delayed this. As a result, even after electrification is completed, trains running to Valga will likely remain Stadler FLIRT units. A nerdy detail: once the Tartu electrification is finished, it’s possible that a Valga-Tartu train could run on diesel and then couple with a Tartu-Tallinn Škoda train. This coupling approach is already common on the Tallinn-Tartu line due to high demand-trains are split on arrival, with one continuing to Valga and the other returning to Tallinn.
On a more positive note, there's been news that Latvia’s passenger operator ViVi plans to rent Lithuania’s LTG Link train, which currently operates between Vilnius and Riga, and extend it to Valga. The Pesa 730ML model is already certified for use in Estonia, making it a neat interim solution. Unfortunately, extending this service to Tallinn isn’t feasible due to capacity constraints, but it’s still a significant improvement while we wait for the Tallinn-Riga connection.
I know this is a bit of an infodump, but I hope there’s something here you’ll find useful for your video! 😏
Have done something similar not so long ago😉
How did you like these trains? I think they’re super comfy.
@ yes its ok but was surprised with one older we took. That was a good one
nice ride i plan on doing one of these days, maybe when the days gets longer
3rd class in lithuania really is 2nd class but with no assigned/reserved seats
I saw some pictures of 3th class and it looks pretty nice to be honest. Making the same journey if the days are longer is really nice I guess.
LTG LINK can't now put more carriages on this route because we don't have a big amount of trains. Maybe in 2026 there will be double Pesa trains. Because in 2025 Stadler will deliver to Lithuania 15 new trains.
TEP70BS+ K/P/SV? Are You kidding?
@marcinklimas2670 No, we only have only ER20 CF in operation. We have only a few of passenger wagons, but they are in exploitation only on route Vilnius - Klaipėda. They in poor condition (except 1 class).
Very interesting. Did you take the ferry between Helsinki & Tallinn..?
Absolutely I took that ferry. Although I have some videos on trains and connect that will be refurbished soon, so it might take a while before I’ll upload that video.
@Trainviking Looking forward to them. Happy New Year!
Lithuania 👍🚶 🚴 🏍 🚗 🚌 🚂 ⛵ ✈
At what day did you took this trip
Die to privacy of people who are on camera I won’t tell the exact date, but it was on a Sunday in December.