Kaunas is considering building a tram line that could run 13 kilometres from the Eiguliai district to the city centre.
The tram line was chosen out of four proposed options. Consideration was given to the movement of people, the most densely populated areas, and the width of the streets.
"This whole route is wide streets – Šiaurės Avenue, Pramonės Avenue – and that line was planned in such a way that there would be two more lanes for car traffic in each direction," said Martynas Matusevičius, head of the transport department at Kaunas City Council.
The possible tram lines in Kaunas, which require streets at least 7 metres wide, were drawn following a feasibility study costing 200,000 euros. It analysed public transport car flows and interviewed 10,000 residents.
The study found that trams are the way forward for sustainable and seamless transport in the future. The tram would run faster and accommodate more people in longer carriages by getting priority at all intersections.
"We had an exercise on whether metro, tram, or express buses would be best, and we found the tram as the best fit. [...] The size of the city and the number of passengers is large enough for a tram to work," said Andrius Jaržemskis, head of Smart Continent LT, the company that prepared the study.
The tram line would cost Kaunas around 240 million euros, with the municipality looking to negotiate with the government and the European Union for funding. The project could be built by 2032.
Tram in Vilnius?
Vilnius also dreamt of a tram a decade ago. A project was drawn up with three lines, but it did not materialise, given the potential obstacles in the old town. Now, ideas for new means of public transport in the capital are still under discussion.
"We are carrying out a feasibility study in Vilnius City. Our main objective is to identify the main axes of the city where a new mode of transport could be developed," said Arnas Misiūnas from JUDU, the city’s public transport company.
Sustainability researchers say the tram is one of the most efficient modes of transport to help reduce climate impact.
"The initial investment is high, but in terms of climate change mitigation, safety [fewer accidents], it can go where motorised transport cannot, in pedestrian spaces," said Žaneta Stasiškienė, head of the Institute of Environmental Engineering at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).
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