
Lithuania
FIP Information
Lithuania is a relatively straightforward country for using FIP. LTG-Link is the only passenger operator and thus the only FIP provider in the country. LTG-Link has been a FIP member since early 2024.
When using FIP Coupons, a free ticket (e.g., online) must be obtained for each journey.
On public holidays and in summer (especially from mid-June to the end of August), it is recommended to reserve seats in advance on international routes such as Vilnius – Klaipeda! Once tickets are on sale, all construction works are already reflected in the timetables, especially due to the electrification of the Vilnius – Siauliai – Klaipeda line.
Interesting
Lithuania’s rail network essentially dates back to the time of the Russian Tsar and therefore uses Russian broad gauge. Speeds are generally not very high, but are now being increased to up to 120 or 160 km/h. Nevertheless, travel comfort is very good, and many routes are now served by modern trains from Polish or Swiss manufacturers.
There are no regular interval timetables; only the routes around the capital Vilnius and between Vilnius and Kaunas are served at shorter intervals.
Punctuality is exceptionally high. From summer 2025, tickets for connecting journeys will also be sold – until now, separate tickets had to be purchased for each segment.
Smoking and photography are strictly prohibited at all stations. Violating the latter can result in the loss of your camera or smartphone. Since spring 2022, a state of emergency has been declared in Lithuania, meaning police, border guards, and the military may check IDs at any time and place. The border with Belarus has been completely closed since autumn 2025.
The high-speed Rail Baltica line is currently under construction and will connect Warsaw with Kaunas (branch to Vilnius), Riga, and Tallinn from the 2030s. Since the end of 2023, the Baltic railways have been coordinating timetables on the Vilnius – Riga – Tallinn route.
Although buses have so far been the dominant means of intercity transport in Lithuania, rail is gaining popularity and passengers, mainly due to modern rolling stock and increasingly shorter travel times. The country also boasts some remarkable stations (e.g., in Vilnius). Trains and facilities are extremely well maintained. Even if you only stay overnight in Vilnius, you can take great train trips from there, for example to the water castle in Trakai or to Kaunas.
On the route to Turmantas, the old DR1A trains from Soviet production are still in use, which are planned to be extended back to Daugavpils in Latvia in 2026. Along the way, you can get off at Ignalina and visit Aukštaitija National Park. The former Ignalina nuclear power plant is located about 20 km away in Visaginas (with its own station). If you have enough time, a few days by the Baltic Sea in Palanga, Klaipeda (German: Memel), or on the Curonian Spit are worthwhile.
Arrival and Border Points
Latvia
Regular train service between Latvia and Lithuania resumed only at the end of 2023. LTG-Link operates in the morning from Vilnius via Siauliai and Riga to the Latvian-Estonian border station Valga and returns in the evening. FIP discounts from LTG-Link also apply between Vilnius and Riga ( see Validity of FIP Tickets). Tickets and reservations can be purchased online ( see Ticket and Reservation Purchase).
Since summer 2025, there have been negotiations to extend the Vilnius – Turmantas trains to Daugavpils in Latvia.
Poland
There are only very few cross-border trains between Poland and Lithuania. One train pair runs from Krakow via Warsaw to Vilnius. At the border station Mockava, a change of trains is required, but the journey is sold as a through connection. The transfer is either on the same platform or via a level crossing to the adjacent platform. In Mockava, connecting trains will wait for delayed arrivals. Tickets and reservations can be purchased online ( see Ticket and Reservation Purchase). For cross-border journeys to/from Poland, you must have either a continuous FIP 50 Ticket or FIP Coupons for both countries.
The number of tickets is limited, as travel is only possible with a seat reservation. Since December 2025, a fixed seat reservation is only assigned in the PKP IC train, while on the LTG-Link railcar there is free choice of seats.
Russia
Trains regularly run between Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad via Lithuania. However, these trains cannot be used for transit travel between Lithuania and Russia. These services only make operational stops in Lithuania.
