It's Monday morning (26.5.2025); greetings from Vilnius.  We travelled here on Saturday from Kiapeda in a modern 3 carriage diesel train, taking around 4 hours for the 376kms on the fastest train of the day - just 3 intermediate stops. The railway here is built to the Russian gauge of 5'3" rather that the 4'8.75" gauge used in the majority of Western Europe and is primarily a freight operation.  Whilst there are a number of week infested and overgrown branches to be seen, there are also long trains of hopper wagons, tank wagons, and more held in loops along the line as we pass off single track sections.   The countryside starts flat, but becomes somewhat more rolling as we head east to Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania where we arrive bang on time.

Klaipeda station has just one main platform from which most passenger trains leave. A big and repurposed old station building with a more recent extension which includes a waiting room and offices - nice enough but spare facilities - there are ticket vending machines, but if you want a reservation you are advised to make it on the train(!) or online, The platform itself is low, open and long to the side of all the tracks and the modern-ness of the train is a stark contrast to the well-established nature of the rest of the place.  The second platform is just across the track, reached on the level with a slight dip on the platform to the unprotected passenger crossing.

Our trains from the depot arrived perhaps 20 to 25 minutes before we were due to leave, and passengers took their seats quite early.  Not level access and a couple of significant steps up to our seats.  Good luggage storage areas.  Passengers middled aged toward senior for the most part, with a noticeable proportion being hugged "goodbye" as they left (and I noted the lady opposite being hugged in welcome when she got off at an intermediate station).

Around 10 minutes before we left, the single carriage from Silute (see my previous blog) pulled in and out of it came an - incredible - number pf people; a much younger metric with many teenagers travelling in groups or alone, and bicycle after bicycle - there must have been a dozen of them!  Help needed as they were handed down from the the high train to the low platform.   And the pushed (or ridden) forward to cross to the main station building and exit in front of our train.   Although it was a connection, I didn't see many people connecting.  But then we're travelling first class and perhaps it was different in standard.

Along the way, there are signs of electrification - concrete bases nested into the ground with iron rods sticking up awaiting catenary poles.  In station and operational area, they are capped with what look like spare red noses from red nose day - no doubt a safety precaution.   A handful of permanent way trains around, and a number of small rail-road cranes, some pushing wagons and with staff riding them to(wards) work sites.  Not unique to Lithuania - we saw similar between Rostock and Warnamunde where a major renewal is underway.

The line from Klaipeda will be completely closed for up to a week in October as they renew a major viaduct over one of the very few valleys crossed along the way; we slowed over the current viaduct and it was clearly very much a work site already, and I couldn't help wondering if the week of full closure would be enough in the UK.   Here in Lithuania, they hope it's too long - they say the closure is up to a week, and hope to re-open quicker.  For freight, and with no diversion route available, time is clearly of the essence.

Once tickets had been checked, the train manager distributed bottles of water to all passenger (1st class only??) and cups of tea or coffee and passed around an eating menu too. It was notable that although he helped passengers off and on to the train, door opening and closing seemed to be the responsibility of the driver, I'm sure aided by CCTV.  No staff to be seen on the platforms - certainly not at intermediate stations in this country.

And so onward to Vilnius.   On departing (Klaipeda) there is time to observe but on arrival it's "everyone off" within a minute or two - so my report should wait until we leave tomorrow - we are here three nights, staying in "Hotel Panorama" - on the sixth floor and with a panoramic view back across the wooded square to the station.  The other side of the hotel has a view across the city - which I went around somewhat yesterday and will be a separate article.

 
Train from Vilnius to Trakai - a 30 minute ride.  We stopped at an intermdiate stations at Paneriai where a vast frieght yard emphasised how important the goods traffic is to the railway here and the bareness of the station emphasised how little concern there is for the comfort of passengers - few seats, no canopies, nothing much on the long platforms.  At one end, a subway, at the other a high bridge, and one lady who got off our train didn't face the hike but rather just walked over the (three) tracks to get to the exit.  Platforms are low, but such practise would be frowned upon in the UK.  Along the line, double track as far as Senieji Trakia, men were working on the overhead caternaty from a work train as we passed on the adjacent track; we were electic and I presume the power was on to us. We did slow at one point to what seemed to be an unguarded rail crossing, but took other crossings at line speed - half barriers stopping the traffic and just a chicane of fences to slow down / caution pedestrians.  Nothing as fancy as gates, let alone ones that were remotely locked.  And, yes, there were people around.

 
I would feel extremely vulnerable on a platform like that one in the penultimate photo.