EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Legislation, Railways, Transport

“Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica will bridge one of the key missing links in the European rail network and improve the connections for citizens and businesses within the EU's internal market. It is a truly strategic project of common interest within the Transeuropean Transport Network,” says Catherine Trautmann, North Sea-Baltic TEN-T Corridor coordinator.

“This is a unique opportunity to demonstrate and prove that the three Baltic States can work together in a unified manner in pursuit of a common goal.  RB Rail will establish proper project governance that ensures transparent and effective project management, as well as good and efficient business practices,” says Rubesa.

RB Rail AS is the central co-ordinator for the Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica project. Its mandate is to receive all project financing and manage it in accordance with specific regulations that apply to the financing recipients in the three participating countries – the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Latvian Ministry of Transport, and the Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications. 

In addition to RB Rail AS, the project will be implemented by the Estonian Technical Regulatory Authority and OU Rail Baltic Estonia, SIA Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas in Latvia, and AB Lietuvos geležinkeliai and UAB Rail Baltica statyba in Lithuania.

First phase: Preparing and starting the construction of Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica

The grant is being awarded for a part of the implementation of the overall Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica project:  activities to be started in 2015 and to be completed by the end of 2020. This includes technical studies, land expropriation, an initial set of construction works, project management support for the project, oversight and public communications. 

The aim is to finalise all preparations (technical designs, building permits, purchase of land) and to begin the first phase of construction on certain sections in Estonia; along the central segment of the rail line, the Rīga region in Latvia, and on the Kaunas-Panevėžys-LV/LT border segment of the line in Lithuania.

Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

In Estonia the financing will be used for detailed technical design of the whole railway line including Tallinn and Pärnu passenger stations, the Tallinn multimodal cargo terminal and rolling stock maintenance depo as well as associated environmental and other studies. It also allows for starting construction of the embankment and grade level crossings with objects of transportation infrastructure for the railway.

The first phase financing in Latvia will be used for technical design and construction of Riga Central railway station, a  railway station at Riga international airport as well as construction of a railway connection between these stations, and land acquisition. By combining 1520 mm and 1435 mm railway systems and creating effective interchange with other modes of regional and international transport, Riga Central station will become a truly multimodal regional and international transport hub.

The first phase funding in Lithuania will be used to construct the missing railway links between the newly built railway line of European standard 1435 mm gauge (in the section from Polish/Lithuanian state border to Kaunas) and Kaunas Rail Road Terminal, from which a new separate railway line of 1435 mm gauge heading north will be developed. Related activities will include preparation of necessary documentation for land expropriation, land expropriation procedures, preparation of technical design for the line from Kaunas to the Lithuanian/Latvian state border and construction of a new 1435 mm gauge on the Kaunas-Panevėžys-LV/LT border segment.

Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica: a high-speed railway connection with Europe

The Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica project involves the construction of a high speed rail line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian/Polish border.  The track width will be 1435 mm (the European standard), and passengers trains will travel at a speed of up to 240 km/h, while freight trains will travel at a speed of up to 120 km/h.

Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica will restore direct links between the Baltic States and the European railroad network, also facilitating regional integration by linking Tallinn, Rīga, Kaunas (with a connection to Vilnius), Warsaw and Berlin.

Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica will be an electrified public use rail line, an environmentally friendly and modern form of transportation.  It will largely reduce cargo transport on roads, thus also reducing emissions caused by motor vehicles.