Background information

In response to rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, on 31 March 2026 the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, in cooperation with the state-owned passenger rail operator LTG Link, introduced a temporary state compensation measure that reduced train ticket prices by 50%. The discount applied to all domestic journeys from 1 April to 31 May 2026. The initiative was intended to ease the financial burden on households caused by increasing individual travel expenses, particularly for those most affected by higher fuel prices, including families and seniors, and to encourage the use of public transport.

Content of measure

The state compensation measure applied to all groups of rail passengers travelling on domestic routes. In addition, the discount was combined with fare reductions established under the Law on Public Passenger Transport Discounts, allowing families travelling on weekends, students, schoolchildren and seniors to travel even more affordably. The 50% discount was valid for tickets purchased for travel between 1 April and 31 May 2026.

The estimated cost of the state compensation measure is EUR 1.5 million over the two-month period. However, the exact cost to the state budget will be determined at a later stage following a thorough analysis of the data.

Use of measure

Before its entry into force, the measure was expected to affect approximately 1.2 million passengers over the two-month period, including a projected increase of around 200,000 passengers as a result of the discount.

Following the termination of the measure, it was estimated in early June that nearly 1.08 million passengers had benefited from the temporary discount and that passenger numbers had increased by 23% compared to the same period in the previous year. Nearly 34,600 people travelled by train for the first time during the two-month period.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Social partners were not involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of the measure.

Views and reactions

In May 2026, the Lithuanian Passenger Transport Association (LKVA) sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport and Communications expressing concern that the measure could distort competition. The association highlighted that the state compensation scheme overlooked the majority of public transport users, as buses account for approximately 98% of all passenger journeys in Lithuania, while rail services do not reach all parts of the country. It also noted that residents of regional areas generally have lower incomes than those living in Lithuania’s major cities.

Sources

• 31 March 2026: Lithuania halves train fares for two months amid fuel price surge (www.lrt.lt)
• 31 March 2026: Lithuania to halve domestic train fares for two months (www.delfi.lt)
• 03 April 2026: Minister Taminskas: Train tickets will be halved halved for two months as fuel prices rise (sumin.lrv.lt)
• 09 April 2026: Minister: Public transport discounts are a rather expensive measure expensive measure" (madeinvilnius.lt)
• 27 May 2026: State compensation
• 05 June 2026: LTG Link’s half-price fares attract over 1mn passengers in two months (www.delfi.lt)