One day an unexpected email landed in the inbox of Dr. Lijana Maskeliūnaitė, Associate Professor at the Department of Mobile Machinery and Railway Transport. The message was from Professor Sonoko Shima, Director of the Institute of International Culture at Showa Women's University in Tokyo, Japan. Intrigued by Dr. Maskeliūnaitė's 2021 review article, Railways in Lithuania: From Tsarist Russia to Rail Baltica, published in the journal Transport, Professor Shima expressed her interest in Baltic history and proposed a meeting during her planned trip to Vilnius and Riga.
Encouraged by the Dean of the Faculty of Transport Engineering, prof. dr. Olegas Prentkovskis, assoc. prof. dr. L. Maskeliūnaitė extended an invitation to Professor Shima to visit the faculty. The invitation was accepted, and the meeting proved to be an enriching exchange of ideas.
During the visit, Professor S. Shima unfolded a map of Lithuania, sparking a lively discussion about the country’s cities and historic railway stations. “Each time she pointed to a spot on the map, we found ourselves recounting the history of not only the cities but also the railway stations,” said assoc. prof. dr. L. Maskeliūnaitė. The topics ranged from major cities such as Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Panevėžys to smaller locations like Druskininkai, Trakai, Marijampolė, and Kybartai.
Professor‘s S. Shima curiosity extended to the construction of Lithuania's early railway lines, such as the Liepāja–Jurbarkas and Saint Petersburg–Warsaw routes, as well as the architectural grandeur of stations like Lentvaris and Virbalis (formerly Veržbolovo) during the Tsarist period. She was especially intrigued by how the rail gauge difference—1524 mm for Russian tracks and 1435 mm for European tracks—affected travel logistics in the 19th century, particularly for Tsarist journeys to Europe.
The conversation also touched upon the Rail Baltica project, which aims to integrate the Baltic States into the European railway network. Professor Shima explored whether the project held greater significance for Lithuania from a technical or historical perspective.
The Lithuanian team, led by the Dean, was eager to learn what inspired Professor Shima’s interest in the Baltic region. She shared that her father’s fascination with Germany had influenced her academic path, which focuses on international relations in the EU’s external border regions. Her research on Rail Baltica aligns with her broader interest in the region's governance and cooperation. Notably, Professor Shima is a recipient of Latvia’s IV Class Cross of Recognition, awarded for her exceptional contributions to science, education, and culture.
The visit concluded with a presentation of the faculty’s academic, scientific, and student activities. Professor S. Shima attentively reviewed videos showcasing the department's initiatives.
The Faculty of Transport Engineering is proud to have hosted such an esteemed scholar from Japan. The visit not only celebrated Lithuania's railway heritage but also underscored the strength of international academic collaboration.
