Construction, EU – Baltic States, Railways, Transport

Degutis said the company aims to establish design criteria within the period of 2020-2021 and subsequently begin construction on all railway routes. RB Rail also seeks to ensure financing by applying for support in 2020 for the construction stage of Rail Baltic from the EU instruments that were not allocated to other member states.

"That way, the next EU budget would have a smaller impact on us. We could start construction in 2021 and a part of the railway would be completed by 2023," Degutis said.

For that purpose, however, planning needs to be finalized in all three states by 2020. Degutis added that Rail Baltic also has a chance to receive additional financing from the 6.5 billion EU fund aimed at improving military mobility.

In Estonia, design procurements on the whole length of the railway route are currently underway from the Estonian-Latvian border all the way to Tallinn. RB Rail hopes to enter into the first contracts in design procurement in the first quarter of 2019.

RB Rail AS is the central coordinator for the Rail Baltic project. RB Rail shareholders include the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian railway companies, UAB Rail Baltica Statyba, SIA Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas and Rail Baltic Estonia OU.

The Rail Baltic project provides the construction of a new fast conventional, European standard gauge double track electrified railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border.