Did the Baltic states lose their railways and transport systems after joining the EU? What the data shows

Publication date: 20 July 2026

Claim

A broadcast on the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio claimed that the Baltic states lost their industries, railways and transport systems after joining the European Union. The formula was sweeping: "no railways, no transport system".

Verdict

False / misleading.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have operating railways, airports, seaports and road transport. Volumes have fallen in some segments, especially east-west rail freight transit. That does not mean the transport system has disappeared. Passenger rail use grew in Lithuania and Latvia, airports serve millions of people, and Klaipėda Port increased cargo turnover in 2025.

In brief

• The Belarusian Investigative Center recorded the state-radio claim on 6 July 2026.

• Eurostat reported that rail passenger performance in 2024 increased from 2023 by 12.8 percent in Lithuania and 14.1 percent in Latvia.

• LTG Link carried almost 6 million passengers in Lithuania in 2025, about 350,000 more than a year earlier.

• Latvia's official statistics show rail passenger traffic growing by 9.7 percent in 2025.

• Latvian rail freight fell by 14.4 percent in the same year. This is a real structural problem, not evidence that the entire system ceased to exist.

• Lithuanian airports served a record 7.16 million passengers in 2025, while Klaipėda Port handled about 39 million tonnes of cargo.

Why this matters

The claim turns a complex economic adjustment into a simple story of inevitable decline after EU accession. It erases differences between freight and passenger transport, between the three countries, and between a fall in one indicator and the condition of an entire infrastructure system.

For audiences in Belarus and Russian-speaking communities in neighbouring countries, this creates a false picture of daily life in the EU. Public debate should acknowledge real problems, including the decline of east-west rail transit and delays affecting major infrastructure projects, without replacing them with the claim that transport no longer exists.

What we checked

We compared the published description of the Belarusian Radio broadcast with Eurostat data, Latvia's official statistics, the Lithuanian passenger rail operator LTG Link, Lithuanian Airports and Klaipėda Port statistics.

The check addresses the factual core of the claim: whether railways and transport systems exist, operate and carry passengers or freight. It does not assess every transport-policy decision in the three states and does not suggest that every segment is growing.

Evidence

1. Passenger rail services exist and in several cases are growing

Eurostat says rail passenger performance in 2024 increased from 2023 by 12.8 percent in Lithuania and 14.1 percent in Latvia. Estonia recorded a 5.7 percent decline in the same measure. This is a mixed record, but it is incompatible with the claim that the three countries have no railways.

LTG Link says its trains carried almost 6 million passengers in 2025, about 350,000 more than in 2024. Latvia's Central Statistical Bureau reported 21.4 million rail passengers in 2025, an increase of 9.7 percent.

2. The decline in freight transit is real, but it is not the disappearance of transport

Latvia's Central Statistical Bureau recorded a 14.4 percent fall in rail freight in 2025. At the same time, total land freight increased by 0.6 percent and road freight increased by 2.7 percent.

These figures show a change in the structure of freight transport. They support scrutiny of the rail sector's former dependence on eastern flows and the cost of redirection. They do not support the phrase "no transport system".

3. Aviation and maritime traffic provide further counterevidence

Lithuanian Airports reported a record 7.16 million passengers in 2025. In June 2026, Lithuania's three airports jointly served almost 742,000 passengers, 11 percent more than a year earlier.

Klaipėda Port reports cargo turnover of about 39 million tonnes in 2025. Published figures also show total cargo growth of about 10.9 percent and increased container traffic. In Latvia, Riga Airport served about 7.1 million passengers in 2025, while air freight grew by 7.2 percent.

4. A low value or a decline is not the same as having no system

Eurostat notes that absolute rail passenger performance in the Baltic states is lower than in large EU countries. Population, territory, network density and the availability of other transport modes all affect the figures. Absolute volumes without this context can mislead.

A transport system includes more than east-west rail freight. It includes passenger trains, roads, buses, urban transport, aviation, seaports and logistics. Selecting one falling indicator cannot describe the entire system.

What remains unknown

We could not obtain the complete recording or transcript of the Belarusian Radio programme. We therefore relied on the published transcription of the central phrase by the Belarusian Investigative Center. Some source pages also blocked automated access.

The available data do not show that Baltic transport is free of problems. A full economic assessment would require comparable series on revenue, investment, service quality, regional access, infrastructure condition and Rail Baltica timelines. Those questions do not change the finding that the claim about railways and transport systems disappearing is false.

Conclusion

The claim that the Baltic states lost their railways and transport systems after joining the EU is false and misleading. It generalises a real decline in parts of eastern freight transit to the whole transport sector. The latest available data show operating networks, passenger growth in Lithuania and Latvia, millions of air passengers and substantial maritime cargo activity.

Sources

• Belarusian Investigative Center, *Belarusian radio reported a decline in the Baltic States' transportation sector*: https://investigatebel.org/en/fakenews/belarus-radio-baltics-transport-decline-fake

• Eurostat, *Railway passenger transport statistics - quarterly and annual data*: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Railway%5Fpassenger%5Ftransport%5Fstatistics%5F-%5Fquarterly%5Fand%5Fannual%5Fdata

• Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, *The transport sector in 2025*: https://stat.gov.lv/en/statistics-themes/business-sectors/freight-transport/press-releases/27620-freight-carried-and

• LTG, *Almost 6 million people traveled on LTG Link trains in 2025*: https://ltg.lt/en/naujienos/2026/almost-6-million-people-traveled-on-ltg-link-trains-in-2025

• Lithuanian Airports, *Lithuanian Airports set another all-time record in June as passengers grow by 11%*: https://ltou.lt/en/lithuanian-airports-set-another-all-time-record-in-june-as-passengers-grow-by-11

• Port of Klaipėda, *Statistics*: https://portofklaipeda.lt/en/port/about-the-port-of-klaipeda/statistics

Corrections and updates

If a complete broadcast archive, corrected official data or new comparable indicators become available, Unity Bridge will update this article and record the changes in this section.