Rail Baltica has announced the start of the procedure for coordination and approval of the special plan of the Kaunas-Vilnius Urban Node section railway Project in Lithuania.

The Kaunas railway hub will connect Western and Central Europe with Northern Europe and speed up the transportation of transit cargo to the Port of Klaipėda. Over the entire period of public hearings, more than 80 specific decisions of the Kaunas Knot Special Plan were received. The next step is to coordinate the territorial planning document with the responsible institutions, which will take about 4 months. Through the creation of new transport links, as well as through economic growth and job creation, the development of the Kaunas railway junction will become a stimulus for the socio-economic growth of the entire region. 

After the approval of the plan, the procedures for acquiring 43.3 ha of public and private land plots and 325 buildings, including 25 residential buildings, will begin. The acquisition is expected to be completed in about 3 years. Performance of the works on the Kaunas railway hub involves the construction of railway track substructure, superstructure, as well as related civil structures on the 65 km long new standard gauge (1435 mm) high-speed double track, electrified railway Rail Baltica line section from Kaunas Urban Node to Vilnius Urban Node. The project also includes 5 new railway viaducts and 2 new bridges over the Jiesia River, as well as the reconstruction or widening of 5 existing bridges.