It’s been a big month for European train travel. Austrian sleeper service NightJet unveiled its new solo sleeping pods. There were rumblings of a new route between Italy and Slovenia. One of the continent’s most eagerly anticipated new sleeper services, the Paris-Berlin night train, took off on its first sold-out journey.
And this week, just in time for the new year, two other European capitals just got a brand-new train link: Vilnius and Riga.
The route, operated by Lithuania’s state-owned rail company LTG, is the first direct rail service between the Baltic cities since 2004 – though they were briefly connected by a Ukranian service between late 2018 and early 2020. The service will run daily, setting off from Vilnius at 6:30am and arriving in Riga at 10:43am; the return journey will take off from Riga at 3:28pm, returning to Vilnius at 7:51pm.
Best of all? This new cross-border service is pleasantly affordable. A standard seat costs €24 (£20.89), while a first-class ticket will set you back €34 (£29.60).
According to Lithuanian media site LRT, Lithuania’s transport minister Marius Skuodis has plans for the service to extend all the way to the Estonian capital, Tallinn. While it might take a while for that to happen, the Vilnius-Riga train could become part of an in-the-works route between Latvia’s Riga and Estonia’s Tartu. Watch this space.
The revival of rail travel in Europe
Choosing flight-free travel is one of the most impactful ways to become a more sustainable tourist, and Europe’s rail revival is making that easier than ever. Time Out has extensively covered Europe’s train travel renaissance, from brand-new sleeper trains to new high-speed services.
And it’s not just about convenience: many European countries are ensuring train travel can be done affordably. Countries such as Germany, Portugal and France have launched budget-friendly monthly transport passes.
Did you see that this French city just made public transport completely free?
Plus: have a look at Time Out’s biggest travel news stories in 2023.
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