Baltic, EU – Baltic States, Markets and Companies, Railways, Transport

Representatives from the Transport Ministry said that they intend to submit to the government a route which does not go through the region's Natura 2000 protected area, as one of the alternate routes on offer violates at least three national regulations. Furthermore, they added that this would also lead to losing the EUR 4 mln allocated for research and analysis activities on finding the most suitable Rail Baltica route.

Meanwhile, the Salacgriva Regional Council points out that it will pause a bit to consult with environmental specialists before making a decision on how it intends to proceed further.

As reported, the Rail Baltica project deals with construction of a new 1,435 millimeter standard-gauge railroad in the Baltic countries. The European Commission has allotted Latvia EUR 238 mln for the first round of the project.

By 2020, the Baltic States will receive a total of EUR 442.2 mln  (co-funding of 81.82%) for this project.

The Rail Baltica standard-gauge railroad in Latvia will be 265 kilometers long, going through Salacgriva, Limbazi, Seja, Incukalns, Ropazi, Garkalne, Stopini, Salaspils, Kekava, Baldone, Iecava, Olaine, Marupe, Bauska regions and Riga.