Russia may build Moscow-Kaliningrad express rail link through Lithuania - paper
VILNIUS. July 12 (Interfax) - Russia wants to build an express rail line linking Moscow and Kaliningrad that would run through Lithuania, the newspaper Lietuvos zinios reported on Friday, citing an official in the Lithuanian Communications and Transportation Ministry,.
Russia projects that trains on the express line would make the 1,285-kilometer journey from Moscow to Kaliningrad in 12 hours, down from 22 hours currently. The project would upgrade and electrify the existing line, 219 kilometers of which run through Lithuania, and build rail infrastructure there and in Kaliningrad region and Belarus.
The project is slated for completion in time for the 2018 World Cup soccer championship that Russia is hosting. A number of matches will be played in Kaliningrad.
The Lithuanian ministry plans to discuss the subject, but so far there is no information concerning the date for a meeting or its format.