Students innovate for sustainable mobility solutions in Rail Baltica project

Credit: Rail Baltica

A group of 60 students from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia recently participated in the BUSBaltica training programme, generating innovative ideas to enhance passenger experiences on Rail Baltica‘s new infrastructure. This programme aims to develop sustainable urban mobility solutions in the Baltic region by engaging students with real-world mobility challenges.

During the week-long initiative, participants attended workshops and lectures from industry experts, including Marģers Počs, Head of Passenger Station Development at Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas. He discussed the planned Rail Baltica route and its implications for station development in Latvia.

In a hackathon at Riga Technical University, students brainstormed ways to improve Rail Baltica stations as multimodal transport hubs. Notable proposals included the Rent-a-Read project, allowing passengers to rent books and introducing universal deposit return machines for standardised recycling.

Another group focused on pet-friendly travel, proposing special train carriages with features like liquid-resistant floors and dedicated pet toilets. They also introduced the Tududream concept for renting pillows at stations to enhance passenger comfort.

In addition, the students proposed AtoBaltica, a mobile app designed to simplify travel across the Baltic states by consolidating various transport options – buses, trains, taxis, ferries, and micro-mobility rentals – into one user-friendly platform.

The BUSBaltica programme is facilitated by Kimitisik, Riga Technical University’s Science and Innovation Centre, Kaunas University of Technology and the University of Tartu, with financial backing from the European Institute of Innovation & Technology’s Knowledge and Innovation Community, EIT Urban Mobility. The programme emphasises the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in creating sustainable urban mobility solutions, preparing students to be future leaders in this field.