The construction of a railway line Rail Baltica near Panevėžys in northern Lithuania could require the demolition of dozens of houses. Homeowners are protesting, but the town’s mayor says the railway will bring many benefits, reports Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.
Rail Baltica is the largest Baltic infrastructure project in the past decade. One scenario includes the railway passing through Panevėžys, with a proposed international station.
However, this option involves the demolition of 52 residential buildings.
Citizens have already prepared a petition, asking the government to choose between the two remaining options.
Vidmantas Puodžius said that the railway would pass by “the chimney of his house”. He also said he was shocked to learn that his house, where he has lived for more than 30 years, was to be demolished.
“It was a shock for everyone.”
Another resident, Romas Ramanauskas, said he would lose everything:
“Me, my family, my grandchildren will lose everything. I built it [house].”
The Rail Baltica railway project presents three options. Among them, the first alternative, which entails house demolitions, stands as the most expensive, with an estimated value of 438 million euros.
Although the other options are considerably cheaper, this one is considered the most viable for the city.
Panevėžys Mayor Rytis Mykolas Račkauskas remarked that with the Rail Baltica
investment will foster growth, transforming the city and the region and that with concerns about our youth leaving, we must ensure favorable conditions to encourage their return.
While compensation will be provided to affected homeowners based on property evaluations, this assurance hasn’t convinced them. They feel that the payment will not be fair and that they will be thrown into the street empty-handed.
Rail Baltica managers assert that required land will be appraised at market rates, and residential properties will be compensated based on their replacement value – the expense of replicating the same house elsewhere.
Rail Baltica, which will connect Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevėžys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw, will be operational in 2030.
Read the whole article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2058358/panevezys-residents-protest-plans-to-demolish-their-homes-for-rail-baltica-track