Estonia, Latvia, Legislation, Railways, Real Estate, Transport

"By now we know that in considerable extent, the Rail Baltica route in Estonia is located on state-owned land, hence we do not see much room for large-scale profiteering," said Peris. The railway line will pass over more than 600 properties.

He said that the acquisition of the land under the railway has to be compensated but its size is still a bit early to predict. Negotiations with landowners have not yet been launched since the route corridor is not yet fully set. The train's route in Rapla and Harju Counties will be approved in spring.

"People should not gullibly hope that they could get mysteriously rich thanks to the land under the railway, the possible price will still be based on an independent expert's evaluation and transactions will take place in accordance with valid legal framework , assessing each case individually," said Peris.

He thought that the state will reach agreements with the majority land-owners over a fair price without trial, and price distortions.