Key takeaways
- Lithuania runs on 1520 mm broad gauge – technically the network belongs to the eastern rail area, not the Central European one.
- Rail Baltica brings standard gauge into the country. For the first time, a continuous 1435 mm axis towards Poland is being built.
- The group has been split three ways since 2019: infrastructure, freight and passenger service are separate companies.
- Only a little is electrified – diesel dominates both passenger and freight traffic.
- Freight wagons carry eight-digit numbers under the broad-gauge area's standard.
Contents
- 1.Fact file
- 2.Business areas
- 3.Structure & brands
- 4.History at a glance
- 5.How to recognise the company
- 6.Strengths and weaknesses
- 7.European structure, eastern technology
- 8.Where broad gauge and standard gauge meet
- 9.How to plan a Lithuania trip
- 10.What the loss of eastern transit traffic has changed
- 11.The fleet: two origins, one running gear
- 12.Is Lithuania worth it for you?
- 13.Conclusion
- 14.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Role in the system | State rail holding company with separate subsidiaries for infrastructure, freight and passenger service |
|---|---|
| Owner | Republic of Lithuania |
| Founded | 1991, after independence was regained |
| Track gauge | 1520 mm on the existing network, plus standard-gauge sections at the Polish border |
| Electrification | Only a small part of the network; passenger and freight traffic mostly runs on diesel |
| Major project | Rail Baltica – a continuous standard-gauge line from the Baltics to Poland |
| Main port | Klaipėda on the Baltic Sea, the terminus of the freight axes |
| Markings | Lithuanian in the Latin alphabet; older vehicles carry remnants of Cyrillic script |
| Official website | www.litrail.lt |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
How to recognise Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LG)
Does the train really belong to Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LG)?
- Visibly wider tracks – 1520 mm stands out immediately at points and in cross-section
- Little overhead line – most of the network isn't electrified
- Soviet-era diesel locomotive types with long engine hoods dominate freight and long-distance service
- Eight-digit wagon numbers in broad-gauge service instead of the twelve-digit European number
- Lithuanian markings in the Latin alphabet, sometimes alongside Cyrillic remnants on older vehicles
- New railcars built in Poland on broad-gauge bogies in regional service
- Construction sites of the standard-gauge axis with vehicles running on 1435 mm
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- Two track gauges in one country – an operating picture rarely seen elsewhere in the EU
- Soviet-era technology in scheduled service, combined with modern Western procurement
- Platforms are freely accessible, making spotting uncomplicated
- Port traffic concentrates heavy freight on a few axes
- Rail Baltica can be documented as a major construction project over years
Where it falls short
- Very sparse passenger service – few train pairs a day on many routes
- There's no reliable up-to-date source for fleet numbers and traffic volumes
- Photography is sensitive near the borders with Belarus and Kaliningrad
- Hardly any international passenger traffic since the eastern connections were dropped
- The broad gauge effectively rules out foreign rolling stock from Central Europe
Updated: August 2026 – Lithuania is an EU member, but its tracks sit 85 millimetres further apart than those in Warsaw. Lietuvos geležinkeliai runs on 1520 mm broad gauge, while standard gauge begins just a few kilometres further south. And while the existing fleet runs on Soviet-era diesel, a new-build line is being constructed right across the country on which none of it can run.
Two gauges, one collection
Log what you saw where – before broad gauge gets competition in passenger service.
European structure, eastern technology
Since 2019, the Lithuanian rail group has been split into three companies: one for infrastructure, one for freight, one for passenger service. That’s exactly the model European law requires, and it matches what you know from PKP in Poland.
The technology underneath, however, still follows eastern tradition. Track gauge, coupling system, wagon numbers and loading gauge come from the Soviet legacy and aren’t compatible with the Central European network. It’s exactly this coexistence that makes Lithuania interesting: European organisation, eastern operating system.
Where broad gauge and standard gauge meet
The gauge change is the issue that everything in Lithuania hinges on. Four factors distinguish the two systems that coexist in the country.
| Feature | Broad-gauge network (existing) | Standard gauge (Rail Baltica) | Consequence for operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | 1520 mm | 1435 mm | no shared rolling stock |
| Reach | Baltics, Eastern Europe, Central Asia | Poland and further west | two separate rail areas |
| Wagon numbers | eight digits | twelve digits under UIC | different documentation |
| Electrification | only a few sections | planned for the new build | diesel remains dominant on the existing network |
| Vehicle origin | Soviet-era and modernised | Central European types | completely different appearances |
As long as both systems exist in parallel, you have two rail worlds in one country. For photographers that’s a rewarding subject for years – not least because you can document construction progress and the start of operations, which is never possible with a finished network.
You can spot the gauge from the bogie
Out on the open line, the difference between 1435 and 1520 mm is barely visible to the naked eye. On the vehicle it is, though: broad-gauge bogies look wider relative to the height of the body, and the buffers and coupling sit differently. Photograph it end-on and the gauge is provable in the shot.
How to plan a Lithuania trip
Allow for few train pairs
The passenger service is sparse. Check beforehand how many trains actually run on your route.
Include a freight axis
Heavy traffic runs towards the Baltic Sea port. There you'll see Soviet-era diesels in scheduled service rather than in reserve.
Plan for the construction site
The standard-gauge axis is an open construction site for years, with its own construction and transport vehicles.
Avoid border areas
Photography is sensitive near the borders with Belarus and the Russian exclave. Choose locations further inland.
Don't forget the narrow gauge
A heritage section keeps the country's third gauge alive – 750 mm, independent of the state railway.
What are you taking in on your Lithuania trip?
Freight is the core: it carries the company and shows the characteristic vehicles.
What the loss of eastern transit traffic has changed
Lithuania was a transit country for decades. Bulk goods from the east ran over Lithuanian track to the Baltic Sea port, alongside traffic to the Russian exclave. Since 2022 these flows have largely collapsed, and the focus of freight traffic has shifted west and south.
For spotters that means two things. First, routes and train paths are less stable than before – if you’re chasing a specific train, you’re better off using the methods from the article on catching rare vehicles. Second, the connection to Poland is gaining importance, where companies like PKP Cargo and the broad-gauge link of PKP LHS take over the onward traffic.
The technical closeness to the east still remains, though. Anyone reading the wagon numbers sees the same system as at the Kazakh state railway – the broad gauge is one connected rail area, regardless of political borders.
Sort sightings from two rail areas
With Traintrack you keep broad gauge and standard gauge cleanly separated – and can find both again later.
The fleet: two origins, one running gear
What runs in Lithuania falls into two groups. The first comes from Soviet-era production: heavy main-line diesel locomotives with a long engine hood, sometimes double-headed, plus shunters and older-design coaches. These vehicles have almost vanished in Central Europe; their closest relatives run in Poland as the PKP ST44, though on standard gauge.
The second group is designed in the west and built for the east. Main-line diesel locomotives from European manufacturers and railcars built in Poland run here on broad-gauge bogies – the same platforms you know as the PESA Twist or a related design from Poland, just with different running gear underneath. The result looks familiar at first glance but technically isn’t.
For documentation that’s a trap. Anyone classifying a Lithuanian railcar by manufacturer type easily ends up with the wrong variant, because the standard-gauge version of the same type has a different name. So always note the vehicle number and the country, not just the trade name – the logic behind identifying it is described in the guide to the UIC number.
Is Lithuania worth it for you?
Yes, if you …
- want to see Soviet-era diesels in scheduled service within the EU
- want to document two gauges in one country
- want to follow a major project over years
Maybe, if you …
- are planning a Baltic trip anyway and want to include the railway
- are interested in port and industrial traffic
- are prepared to wait a long time for a few train pairs
No, if you …
- expect dense train frequencies and many operators
- are after electric traction – there's hardly any here
- would rather stay in the familiar standard-gauge area, say at Rzepin
Border areas aren't a photo spot
On the sections near Belarus and the Russian exclave, the railway counts as security-sensitive infrastructure. Photography there can trigger checks, even from publicly accessible ground. Choose locations further inland, don't enter operational railway land, and keep your safe distance from the track.
Conclusion
Lietuvos geležinkeliai is the railway of a country that’s in the middle of switching rail areas. The existing network technically belongs to the east, the new-build project to the west, and both will coexist for the foreseeable future.
For spotters that’s a rare stroke of luck: you can watch a system change while it’s happening. Anyone documenting it now will have pictures in ten years of a state that no longer exists – provided the sightings are logged cleanly, with gauge, number and location.
In short
Lithuania runs on 1520 mm broad gauge with mostly diesel-hauled traffic, and is building a standard-gauge axis to Poland alongside it. Two systems, one country – and for you, two separate worlds of sightings.
Document a system change while it's happening
Log broad gauge, standard gauge and narrow gauge in one app – with location, date and number.
Summary
- Lithuania is the westernmost point of the broad-gauge network with full EU law applying – a combination that only exists in the Baltics.
- The group's three-way split follows European rules, while the technology still follows eastern tradition.
- Anyone wanting to see Soviet-era diesels in scheduled service has one of the last opportunities within the EU here.
- With Rail Baltica, a second, technically completely different network is being built in parallel – a rewarding photo subject for years to come.
Frequently asked questions
What track gauge does Lithuania use?
The existing network runs on 1520 mm, the broad gauge of the eastern rail area. That makes Lithuania technically connected to the other Baltic states and to Central Asia, not to Poland. There's a short standard-gauge section at the Polish border, and Rail Baltica is building a continuous standard-gauge line.
What is Rail Baltica?
A new-build project for a continuous standard-gauge line from Estonia through Latvia and Lithuania to Poland. It's an attempt to connect the Baltics to Central Europe rather than staying oriented east via the broad gauge. Construction has been under way for years; there's no reliable statement on completion dates that holds for more than a year.
Why is the company sometimes called LG and sometimes LTG?
Lietuvos geležinkeliai is the official name, LG the classic abbreviation. LTG is the group's umbrella brand, introduced in 2019, under which the three companies LTG Infra, LTG Cargo and LTG Link operate. Both terms mean the same company – in your sighting lists, pick one and stick with it.
Is the Lithuanian network electrified?
Only to a small extent. Electric operation runs on a few sections around Vilnius and Kaunas; the rest runs on diesel. Expansion projects have been announced but are only slowly changing the picture. For photographers that means: lots of open landscape without overhead wire, but little electric traction.
Which vehicles run in Lithuania?
A mix of two worlds. In freight and long-distance service, Soviet-era diesel locomotive types dominate, whose relatives you'll find in Poland as the PKP ST44. Alongside them are modern Western-built main-line diesel locomotives and railcars built in Poland on broad-gauge bogies – technically related to vehicles like the PESA LINK.
How are Lithuanian wagon numbers structured?
In broad-gauge service, under the eastern standard with eight digits and a code prefix for the railway administration. You won't find the twelve-digit European vehicle number there, whose structure the guide to the UIC number explains. Always copy the number down exactly as it appears on the vehicle.
Can you travel by train from Poland to Lithuania?
Yes, but with a gauge change. Through traffic has historically ended at the border, where standard and broad gauge meet; passengers change trains there. Rail Baltica is meant to remove this break. Until then, the connection to Warsaw remains a route with a change, not a through train.
How has freight traffic changed since 2022?
Fundamentally. For decades, Lithuania was a transit country for traffic from the east, especially bulk goods heading for the Baltic Sea port. Sanctions and the loss of these flows have changed the business substantially and shifted the focus westward. There's no reliable public source for specific volumes, but the direction of the change is clear.
Is it allowed to photograph trains in Lithuania?
Generally yes, platforms are freely accessible and photography is common. Caution is needed near the borders with Belarus and the Russian exclave – railway facilities there are security-sensitive, and photos can prompt questions. Stay on public ground and follow the principles in the article on house rules at stations.
Are there narrow-gauge railways in Lithuania?
Yes, as a heritage operation. The Panevėžys–Rubikiai narrow-gauge railway preserves a section of the former 750 mm network, which once served large parts of the country. It doesn't belong to the state railway and is therefore a destination in its own right – but one that shows the country's third track gauge.
Log vehicles from Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LG)
Company, vehicle, location and date logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
The operational level in the railway operator database
Who actually runs the trains, with keeper markings and identifying features on the vehicle.
PKP LHS Sp. z o.o.
PKP LHS stands for "Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa" – the metallurgical broad-gauge line. At 1520 mm gauge, it sits right in the middle of the otherwise standard-gauge Polish network.
FreightPKP Cargo S.A.
PKP Cargo S.A. is the freight-focused company within the Polish state railway group PKP. Its trains are shaped by bulk freight traffic – and that shows on the wagons.
FreightDB Cargo Polska S.A.
DB Cargo Polska S.A. is a freight railway registered in Poland. Its surroundings have a special feature: at the German-Polish border, it's not just the country that changes, but the electrification system too.
Typical vehicles
PKP ST44 (M62)
The ST44 is Poland's version of the Soviet M62 – six axles, loud and unmistakable. Here's how to read the code and recognise the locomotive in the field.
ClassPESA LINK
The PESA LINK is a low-floor diesel railcar from Poland – and one of the few Polish railcars that also run in regular service in Germany.
ClassPESA Twist
The PESA Twist is the newer low-floor tram family from Bydgoszcz. Here's how to recognise it in city traffic and tell it cleanly apart from the Swing.
Where you will find Lietuvos geležinkeliai (LG)
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
Warszawa Centralna
Warszawa Centralna is Poland's central long-distance station – and one of the darkest major stations in Europe. Between concrete pillars and neon light, high-speed multiple units meet locomotive-hauled trains from the seventies. If you get on top of the lighting, you get a cross-section of Polish long-distance traffic.
Junction stationHelsinki Hauptbahnhof
Helsinki is the only main station in the EU where trains run on Russian broad gauge. Add to that a granite station building that ranks among Europe's best-known railway buildings. Come here and you get a vehicle world found nowhere else in the Union.
Border stationRzepin
Rzepin lies just a few kilometres east of the German border and is the point where the Berlin–Poznań–Warsaw axis changes its rolling stock. If you want to see locomotive changes, dual-system machines and heavy freight traffic, this is one of the most honest border stations in Central Europe – no hall, no crowds, no comfort.
More companies
Kazakhstan State Railways (KTZ)
Kazakhstan's state railway runs on 1520 mm broad gauge and links China with Europe. At two border crossings every container changes gauge – and wagons from this network turn up as far away as Poland.
State railwayPolskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP)
Polish locomotive designations are the most clear-cut numbering system in Central Europe: two letters tell you the traction and purpose before you've even read the number. The group structure behind them is considerably less clear – a lot of what's called PKP no longer belongs to it.
State railwayVR Group
Finland runs on 1524 millimetres and is thereby cut off from the European standard-gauge network. That shapes everything: wider coaches, a self-contained vehicle world, and letter codes that come straight from Finnish. Once you can read Sr, Sm and Dv, you find your way around instantly.
Heritage railwayPanevėžys–Rubikiai Narrow-Gauge Railway
The Panevėžys–Rubikiai narrow-gauge railway is the last operational remnant of what was once an extensive Lithuanian 750mm network. The entire railway is a protected heritage site – track, stations and rolling stock together. Services run mostly with Soviet-era narrow-gauge diesel locomotives, not steam.
Related guides from the blog
- Reading the UIC number: what the 12 digits on a vehicle reveal
- Spotting Border Stations: Where Foreign Trains Enter Germany
- Tracking Freight Trains Live Made Easy: Apps, Maps, Webcams, Hotspots, Law & Safety
- Tracking trains live across Europe: a country guide for cross-border travellers
- Catching rare vehicles: strategy, not luck
