Rail Baltica is a railway infrastructure megaproject that spans across several countries. The depth of skills and expertise required to successfully execute a greenfield project of this caliber is extensive and would not be possible without our diverse team of professionals.
Welcome back to our series, “Rail Baltica: The People Behind the Vision,” where we introduce you to the members of the Rail Baltica global project team. These individuals are the driving force advancing the Rail Baltica project with their professionalism, dedication, and passion for this project.
Aistė Varkalytė, Senior Project Manager, LTG Infra
At the construction site of the Neris Bridge, Italian contractor Rizzani de Eccher has carried out a spectacular test of the bridge piles – the largest test in the history of Lithuanian railways. Aistė Varkalytė, Senior Project Manager of the Rail Baltica team in Lithuania, works with this contractor and represents LTG Infra in daily meetings regarding the contract work, deals with contract performance, technical and general construction issues.
Aistė joined the Rail Baltica team in 2019, having returned to Lithuania from the United Kingdom specifically to work on this project.
Rizzani de Eccher is a highly experienced contractor with a high level of professionalism. What are the specifics of your work?
My team members and I often feel happy that Rail Baltica is a project full of daily challenges due to its transnational and complex nature. We are constantly learning something new as we tackle them.
Although the main contractor for the construction of the Neris Bridge is an Italian company, we work with people of many different nationalities. The boundaries between our different viewpoints and habits become more and more blurred every day. And I agree that diversity is a key factor for success in any team, and that’s the only way to find the right solutions efficiently.
Both LTG Infra and the technical maintenance team have gained valuable international experience, and I myself lived and worked in the United Kingdom for many years.
How has your role changed since you joined the project?
I joined the team in 2019. Before that I worked on Crossrail, railway electrification and other projects, and Rail Baltica encouraged me to return home. I took part in job interviews, then my family and I packed our bags and moved back to Lithuania. I have tried to change jobs, but only for a short time – I went straight back, and my colleagues and I laugh saying that most of us are so passionate about Rail Baltica that we have no desire for career changes.
There are some colleagues who can be called Rail Baltica’s leaders because they have seen the project from the beginning, when the concept was still being developed; they believe unequivocally in its success, and they are the main flag-bearers of this project. I am glad that our current team is extensive and dedicated, and the number of planned and ongoing projects is so impressive that even I cannot keep up with all the news and updates. For the success of the project, now, it is best to concentrate on our own tasks and leave the other sections where work is underway to responsible colleagues. However, I am constantly trying to learn the most relevant facts so that I can answer the questions I receive in my daily life, from relatives and friends who are interested in the project.
What do you think is the biggest challenge of Rail Baltica?
Deadlines and accelerating the work. Coordination and links between project parties. The hiring manager asked me what the key to project success was. My answer is still the same: communication. Communication plays an essential role for project clarity, transparency, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution and motivation.
What advice would you give to a new colleague joining the team?
Give yourself time to get to know and understand the complexity of the project. Even long-term colleagues are still learning, as are many of the Lithuanian companies and institutions involved in the project after all, we have never had a project of this size before.
What fascinates you about railway infrastructure projects?
The people who are committed to the work. I have not met a single railway employee, either in Lithuania or in the United Kingdom, who does not want to be a railway employee. Infrastructure work requires special care and diligence, because first of all it relies on safety – of passengers, of freight, of traffic, of the state. That is why infrastructure projects carry a lot of responsibility. Working in the railway industry brings immense joy as it combines the thrill of engineering with the satisfaction of providing a vital public service, all while fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and adventure among colleagues.