Nearly 9 km of double-track seamless rail welding completed on Rail Baltica in Lithuania

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 9, flash butt welding of rails was completed on nearly 9 km of European standard gauge double-track railway on the Šveicarija–Žeimiai section of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, forming continuous seamless rails. This milestone marks an important stage in track superstructure construction, with turnout system installation to follow.

This section is being built to the 1,435 mm European standard gauge, with a double-track configuration. The rails are joined into continuous long rails by flash butt welding, and each welded joint must undergo independent inspection and evaluation. Engineering and technical supervision personnel accept the weld quality in accordance with the project's technical requirements and high-speed railway infrastructure standards. The Rail Baltica line is designed for a maximum passenger train operating speed of 249 km/h.

Track superstructure construction is being carried out by a consortium comprising Germany's Leonhard Weiss International and Estonia's Leonhard Weiss OÜ. With the completion of continuous seamless rail welding, this construction section will proceed to turnout system installation, with the turnouts currently being manufactured by voestalpine Railway Systems Lietuva.

The Šveicarija–Žeimiai section falls within the scope of the Rail Baltica main line construction in Lithuania. Lithuania has now secured funding for the construction of 114 km of the Rail Baltica main line. In addition to this section's track works, other construction and design work includes the modernization of the section from the Poland–Lithuania border to Kaunas, the construction of the line's signaling subsystem, as well as the design of independent engineering nodes along the route and subsequent works procurement.

Rail Baltica has previously launched centralized procurement of superstructure materials including rails, sleepers, turnouts, cable systems, ballast, and rail expansion devices. Wedoany published in March 2026 the project's framework procurement milestone for materials worth up to EUR 1.13 billion, with turnouts expected to be ready for ordering by the end of 2026; the completion of nearly 9 km of continuous seamless rail welding represents a new on-site construction milestone in Lithuania.

Rail Baltica is also advancing main line construction north of Kaunas in Lithuania. The entire cross-border railway uses European standard gauge and is planned with electrification, signaling, and train control systems, connecting the railway networks of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Šveicarija–Žeimiai section has now transitioned from rail laying and welding to the turnout system installation stage.