Lithuania advances railway line to Rūdninkai military training ground

Lithuania has begun spatial planning for a new railway access line that will connect the Jašiūnai–Stasylai section to the Rūdninkai Military Training Ground in the Šalčininkai district. The project, budgeted at about €25 million, is intended to improve NATO‑linked military mobility by enabling rapid transport of heavy equipment, containers and personnel.

The planned corridor will cover roughly 55.9 ha, involving four state‑owned plots, nine privately owned parcels and additional un‑parcelled land. Around 6.2 ha of private land is to be expropriated in the public interest. Built to the 1,520 mm gauge used by Baltic and Eastern European railways, the line will include loading facilities and a special ramp for efficient loading and unloading. The Ministry of Transport expects the infrastructure to be designed and constructed quickly, with an aim to meet the operational needs of the training ground and the German 45th Armored Brigade deployed in Lithuania.