In a press release, the Lithuanian rail freight operators said that the change would not only contribute to national security, but also better meet the needs of customers opting for more sustainable rail transport.
“By abandoning the shared fleet model used in the broad gauge area, we are taking another step in transforming the operations of LTG Cargo towards diversification to the West and adapting the company to operate in accordance with the agreements in force in Europe. This is already the second step of the withdrawal from the GTT agreement: after the war in Ukraine, LTG Cargo withdrew its wagons from the movement through Russia and Belarus, and this second step is a disconnection from the shared fleet system and a move towards a European model of operation, where the entire fleet of wagons is privately-owned and will not be used by the railway administrations of other countries,” says Eglė Šimė, the CEO of LTG Cargo.
LTG Cargo adds that its private fleet will be used in two ways. Firstly, by transferring wagons on a long-term lease, and secondly, by providing wagons for one-off services. In the case of the latter, around 10% of the existing private fleet will be allocated to the so-called reserve fleet.
“LTG Cargo will strive to ensure that as many carriages as possible are carried out with wagons on a long-term lease, which will allow customers to secure the required number of wagons irrespective of seasonality, and will also allow the customer to choose the length of the lease contract that best suits their needs,” says the company.
LTG Cargo states that 90% of the private wagon fleet of LTG Cargo will be dedicated to this purpose. Moreover, the use of the leased fleet will increase the turnover of wagons – the same number of wagons transferred to a customer will allow for a higher volume of freight.
In addition to the above, LTG Cargo will arrange overhaul repairs or scheduled repairs of both wagons owned by customers on a long-term lease basis and wagons in the reserve fleet for one-off services, ensuring their proper technical condition.
Finally, LTG Cargo stresses that these changes affect only the wagon fleet managed by LTG Cargo.
“Wagons shared by railway administrations in other countries will continue to operate on the Lithuanian rail network. Please note that a fleet of shared wagons is a fleet of wagons managed by a railway administration, the rules for the use of which are laid down in the international GTT agreement concluded between railway administrations of different countries operating on the 1520 mm gauge track. This agreement allows the sharing of wagons between the railway administrations of different countries.”