Lithuania vs Poland: Who Leads on 1435 mm and ETCS?

Polish sports media spent the weekend dissecting an alleged attack on TVP Sport’s broadcast of Lithuania–Poland—so we’re leaning into the metaphor: here’s the match report from the tracks.

Like any fierce cross-border derby, this one isn’t settled by chants but by kilometres built, systems switched on, and deadlines met. Under the EU’s "rulebook" for the corridor, Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1332, which sets phasing and a core cross-border deadline around end-2030, Lithuania and Poland kicked off 2025 with very different playbooks: one leaning into heavy new build, the other marshalling upgrades on an already 1435 mm network.

The Rail Baltica project, which aims to connect Poland and the Baltic states with a European standard-gauge railway, is scheduled for completion by 2030, but meeting the target will be a major challenge, according to the project’s top official in Lithuania//t.co/ewQt16rOdH

— LRT English (@LRTenglish) July 14, 2025

Kick-Off: Teams, Rules, and Stakes

According to railbaltica.org and Global Railway Review, the corridor’s near-term priority is the Poland–Kaunas link, with DB Engineering & Consulting hired to design and supervise 96 km from the border to Kaunas (Jiesia) under a EUR 38.31 million contract, the "referee’s whistle" for the decisive stretch that unlocks passenger and freight flows. Poland’s head start is structural: it’s the only participant already running a national standard-gauge (1435 mm) network that plugs straight into the rest of Europe, while Lithuania is pushing hard on new, greenfield construction

First Half: Track Laying & Civil Works (Poland 1–1 Lithuania)

Poland’s press: On home turf, PKP PLK has been grinding out metres and modernisations. Railway Pro notes staged works on E75 (Warsaw–Białystok–Ełk–Trakiszki/border), including a new local traffic control centre at Białystok, grade-separations and bridges on Białystok–Ełk, and ongoing works Ełk–Trakiszki to the state border, all sharpening the run-up to Lithuania. Meanwhile, Railway Supply reports Ełk station has been fully refreshed with three new platforms, a 110-metre tunnel, real-time passenger info, and a re-signalled yard capable of handling 740-metre freight trains.

Lithuania’s counter-attack: As reported by railbaltica.org, track laying has begun in the Jonava district: 8.8 km between Šveicarija and Žeimiai slated for completion this year, backed by 86,200 t of ballast, 29,500 sleepers, and 42 km of rail already procured. The Kaunas–Panevėžys mainline keeps rolling, with 77 km of embankments and structures underway and 114 km expected in construction by end-2025. And the cross-border bridge play is set: Global Railway Review confirms DB E&C will design a double-track, electrified, ETCS-equipped line border–Marijampolė–Kaunas, with traffic control and signalling built in from day one.

Half-time stats: Across the three Baltics, 43% of the mainline is expected to be construction-ready by end-2025, proving Lithuania’s visible construction surge and Poland’s deep bench of upgraded track approaching the border.

Second Half: Stations, Signalling & Interoperability (Poland 2–2 Lithuania)

In terms of stations and passenger experience, Poland’s Ełk is the standout showcase. Sources detail new platforms (400 m/300 m, 76 cm high), LED lighting, lifts, and guidance for reduced-mobility users, plus a 40 km control area with 118 switches under one roof, a modern, high-capacity node on the Rail Baltica spine. On Lithuania’s side, international stations and bridges are advancing (including the longest rail bridge over the Neris), with Kaunas positioned as the first Lithuanian hub to meet full 1435 mm specs toward Poland.

The cross-border section border–Kaunas will be electrified, ETCS-ready, and traffic-control-enabled from the outset. Lithuania also joined the region-wide EUR 1.77 billion electrification programme (Baltics), while Poland is integrating modern interlocking, ETCS, and local control centres on E75, leveraging legacy corridors to meet EU-interoperability quickly.

"The Rail Baltica link with Poland is our gateway to the West… the first route where high-speed, European standard-gauge trains will begin operating," said Eugenijus Sabutis, Acting Transport Minister of Lithuania.

“The section connecting us with bordering Poland is a high priority… we plan to pre-tender construction to mobilise resources early,” added Egidijus Lazauskas, LTG Group CEO.

Tie-Breakers: Governance, Risk, Money & Coordination

The “VAR room” is busy. Therre was a tripartite letter of intent back in 2023 between RB Rail AS, PKP PLK and LTG Infra to harmonise design references, energy subsystem interfaces, and command-control/signalling at the border, the coordination that prevents last-minute offsides. Project leads have pushed priority segments to the front of the design queue, and a EUR 38.31 million design-and-supervision deal is now acting as the pace-setter for upcoming construction tenders on the Poland–Lithuania stretch. All of this is unfolding under Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1332, which tightens the schedule with an end-2030 target for the core cross-border link.