Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania is the main institution in Lithuania, which coordinates the work of road, rail, air, water, transport, postal and electronic communications sector and implements the strategy and politics of state government. The Ministry of Transport and Communications shall be a budgetary institution financed from the State budget of the Republic of Lithuania.

History

When Lithuania regained its independence the new Government was formed on 22 March 1990, and the Ministry of Transport and Communications was re-established as well. From the very first days of its activities the most important tasks of the Ministry included taking over of the transport sector from the subordination of all-union ministries, creation of new transport strategy and legal system, integration of the Lithuanian transport sector into the European transport network.

Role and responsibilities

The Ministry seeks:

• to fulfil the requirements of European Union legislation in the areas of transport, post and electronic communications;
• to modernize the transport infrastructure;
• to integrate the main highways of the country into the trans-European networks;
• to enable the development of transport business, transparent competition;
• to improve transport and communication service quality;
• to promote multimodal transport, logistics centers, public setting;
• to coordinate activities in the areas of transport, post and electronic communications;
• to take part in the development of the traffic safety policy for all modes of transport;
• to take part in the development of the policy on the reduction of negative environmental impacts of transport areas.

The most important transport and communication infrastructure development projects

Rail Baltica

Rail Baltica

thumb|300px|Map of Rail Baltica...

is one of the priority projects of the European Union Trans-European Transport Networks

Trans-European Transport Networks

The Trans-European Transport Networks are a planned set of road, rail, air and water transport networks designed to serve the entire continent of Europe. The TEN-T networks are part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks , including a telecommunications network and a proposed energy network...

 (TEN-T).European gauge railway is going to link Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 and Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

, Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

, Kaunas

Kaunas

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...

 and Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

. The project is funded by the European Union's TEN-T

Trans-European Transport Networks

The Trans-European Transport Networks are a planned set of road, rail, air and water transport networks designed to serve the entire continent of Europe. The TEN-T networks are part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks , including a telecommunications network and a proposed energy network...

, the Cohesion Fund

Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds

The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are financial tools set up to implement the Cohesion policy also referred to as the Regional policy of the European Union. They aim to reduce regional disparities in terms of income, wealth and opportunities...

 and the Lithuanian State, started in 2010.

Via Baltica

European route E67

European route E 67 is a E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic to Helsinki in Finland by way of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia....

 is known as a part of the European route E67 between Warsaw and Tallinn. International Via Baltica project is helping to create better traffic conditions between the Central, Western Europe and Baltic countries.

RAIN – the project of developing the broadband Internet in all rural areas of the country. This project will be completed in 2013. The project goal is to provide broadband access to all rural districts of public administrations, hospitals, laboratories, schools, museums, libraries, public Internet access points.

MEZON

IEEE 802.16

IEEE 802.16 is a series of Wireless Broadband standards authored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . The IEEE Standards Board in established a working group in 1999 to develop standards for broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks...

 4G Internet, acting on the basis of advanced wireless technologies, providing extremely high speed (download speed - up to 10 Mbit/s). MEZON Internet operates in 53 cities and towns, it is available for about 60 percent of Lithuania's population. It is planned next year to allow MEZON mobile Internet access across the densely populated territory of Lithuania.

Dredging of Klaipėda state sea port

Port of Klaipeda

The Port of Klaipėda is a seaport located in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is one of the few ice-free ports in northernmost Europe, and the largest in Lithuania...

 basin, construction and reconstruction of embankments (2004–2010), improving facilities of freight and passenger service.

Reconstruction of Sventoji Port. Started in 2010. The port is going to maintain recreational, small, sport, fishing boats, small sea cruise and passenger ships.

Construction of deep-water port in Klaipėda (planned).

Reconstruction of Jakai roundabout (2010, completed the first stage of reconstruction). 4-lane overhead road is linking Kaunas

Kaunas

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...

 and Klaipėda

Klaipeda

Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....

 directions.

Reconstruction of Railway tunnel in Kaunas (2008)

Modernization of Kena border railway statio (2008)

Institutions under the Ministry of Transport and Communications

• State Road Transport Inspectorate
• State Railway Inspectorate
• Lithuanian Road Administration
• Directorate of border crossing infrastructure
• Information Society Development Committee

Institutions and Enterprises under the regulation of the Ministry

• Vilnius International Airport
  Vilnius International Airport
  Vilnius International Airport is the largest civil airport in Lithuania. It is located south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It began operations in 1944. The old terminal was built in 1954.- History:...
  
  
• Kaunas Airport
  Kaunas Airport
  Kaunas International Airport , which serves Kaunas, Lithuania is the second busiest civil airport in Lithuania after Vilnius airport and the fourth busiest in the Baltic states. Kaunas Airport is the fastest growing airport in the Baltic states in 2009 and 2010...
  
  
• Palanga International Airport
  Palanga International Airport
  Palanga International Airport is an international airport located in the western part of Lithuania near the Baltic Sea. The airport focuses on servicing short and mid-range routes. The facility expansion completed in 2007 has made long-range route servicing a possibility. Since 1993, the number of...
  
  
• SE Air Navigation
• SE Inland Waterways Authority
• Klaipėda State Seaport
  Port of Klaipeda
  The Port of Klaipėda is a seaport located in Klaipėda, Lithuania. It is one of the few ice-free ports in northernmost Europe, and the largest in Lithuania...
  
  
• SE Railway Design
• PC Aukstaitijos siaurasis gelezinkelis
• SC Problematika
• SE Transport and Road Research Institute
• SC Lithuanian Post
  Lietuvos paštas
  - External links :*...
  
  
• The State of inland navigation office
• Transport Investment Directorate
• PI "Placiajuostis internetas"
• Civil Aviation Administration
• The Lithuanian Maritime Safety Administration
• AB "Lithuanian Railways"
  Lithuanian Railways
  Lithuanian Railways is the national, state-owned railway company of Lithuania. It operates all the railway lines in the country.Lithuanian Railways' main network consists of 1749 km of broad gauge railway of which 122 km are electrified. They also operate 22 km of standard gauge...
  
  
• JSC "Gelezinkelio apsaugos zeldiniai"
• JSC "Smiltynes perkela"
• JSC "Detonas"
• SE Lithuanian Radio and Television Centre
• JSC "Lithuanian Shipping Company"