Minister Marius Skuodis meets the new Polish Minister of Transport in Warsaw and proposes a regular train service to Ukraine
Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis met with the new Polish Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak in Warsaw on Monday and discussed the possibility of organising a regular freight train route between Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, which would make full use of the existing infrastructure and ensure a faster transit of Ukrainian freight. The Ministers also discussed the joint development of new freight corridors between the Baltic Sea ports and Ukraine, as well as the jointly implemented transport infrastructure projects.
“Joint efforts between the countries to plan new logistics routes with Ukraine are now critical. Close cooperation between Lithuania and Poland is particularly necessary to improve connectivity between the Baltic and Central European countries and, at the same time, to improve the convenience of travelling and transporting freight,” said Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis.
According to the Lithuanian Minister of Transport, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine could agree on the conditions for regular freight trains. It was noted that the success of regular trains in both countries could encourage investment in additional transhipment capacity and modernisation of railway lines.
In the meeting with his Polish counterpart, Mr. Skuodis stressed that the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) offers an excellent opportunity to develop the European rail corridor between the Baltic region and Ukraine. The new TEN-T project already includes an additional North Sea–Baltic maritime corridor link to Ukraine via the Dorohusk–Yagodin border crossing, providing the shortest route between Lithuania, the Baltic States and Ukraine.
At Lithuania’s proposal, a European railway line to Klaipėda has been added to the new TEN-T network, and it includes new military mobility links between Lithuania and Poland.
Lithuania, currently chairing the International Transport Forum, the largest intergovernmental transport organisation at the OECD, together with Sweden, Ukraine and Canada, has set up a special support platform CIG4U to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s transport infrastructure. According to Minister Marius Skuodis, this is also an important initiative to provide more reliable routes and ways for Ukrainian grain to reach global markets.
The strengthening of the north-south transport corridor from the ports of the Baltic countries to the Black Sea and the reconstruction of Ukraine will also be the focus of the Three Seas Initiative Summit to be held in Lithuania in April.
Photo: Polish Ministry of Infrastructure