Lithuanian rail passengers rise 11% as freight volumes continue to fall

Lithuania’s railway market is moving in two different directions: passenger traffic is growing while freight volumes continue to contract.

Railways carried 3 million passengers in the first half of 2026, 11.2% more than a year earlier. Passenger transport revenue increased by 9.3% to €55.4 million.

Part of the growth followed a temporary government programme that covered 50% of train ticket prices for two months. State compensation for passenger services increased by 16% to €22.2 million.

The passenger market also remains heavily based on public-service contracts rather than purely commercial operations: 88.6% of passengers travelled on services ordered by the state.

Freight moved in the opposite direction. Transport volumes fell 4.9% to 2.6 billion net tonne-kilometres, with international traffic down 18.2% and transit down 15.6%.

Yet freight revenue increased by 6.6% to €134.8 million. With less cargo generating more revenue, average revenue per net tonne-kilometre increased by about 12%. The regulator also notes that the transit infrastructure tariff rose by more than 40%.

The numbers show a Lithuanian rail system increasingly supported by growing passenger demand on one side while its traditional freight base continues to shrink on the other.

Source: Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), first-half 2026 railway market data, published 18 September.