According to Antanas Širpūnas, head of RB Rail AS in Lithuania, key geodesic, geologic and geotechnical investigations have been completed on the 78km long section Kaunas-Ramygala.

"A total of 700 boreholes were drilled with more than 2,000 samples tested in the laboratory. Most of the wells were 10m and some of them even 25m deep. Thorough investigations were required for value engineering solutions. These solutions will be used to devise key construction elements for the most important infrastructure objects. The key object in this section is a 1.4km long railway bridge over river Neris," said Širpūnas.

This section surveyed crosses five municipalities in Lithuania; Kaunas city, Kaunas, Jonava, Kėdaniai and Panevėžys districts. Investigations were conducted in a 565-hectare area. Value engineering solutions were prepared for a 30km long section from Šveicarija to Žeimiai and from Žeimiai to Šėta. Designers were trying to find the best solutions for road and rail viaducts and animal passages. Elements were considered according to cost, technical, environmental and construction parameters.

"The infrastructure will have to last for 100 years so we are designing it to be durable and require as little maintenance as possible. We are considering not only the composition of the soil, adhering to the project design guidelines, but also making sure that the infrastructure is designed to tackle challenges posed by future climate change," Širpūnas added.

The designers will soon present the value engineering solutions to the public. Detailed technical design of this section and the section from Ramygala to Lithuanian-Latvian state border will be completed in 2021.