Commenting on the decision made by EU ministers of transport in December 2022, which states that Baltic States are to develop a plan by 2025-2026 to transition from the 1 520 mm width railway network to a European standard, Latvian Minister of Transport Jānis Vitenbergs said: it is too soon to consider this transition.
He said the decision to become closer to the European railway network was made more than ten years ago, when it was decided to implement Rail Baltica project, as it involves the use of EU standard or 1 435 mm railway width.
Latvia’s remaining railway infrastructure is turned towards Russia and Belarus,
Vitenbergs said, stressing it is important for Rail Baltica to offer uninterrupted passenger and freight transports to and from Europe.
«As for the transition of the entire railway network – it is a project worth many billion euros. Paying that from the state budget is practically impossible. This means that the topic of what the EU provides and the extent of their involvement and co-financing will be to do this remains open,» said the minister, adding that it is important to ensure Rail Baltica is connected to as many objects important to the development of Latvia’s national economy to make sure benefits are as large as possible. Vitenbergs said currently the objective is assessing the situation. However, it is too soon to discuss the possible costs.
When asked if Latvia could adopt the plan to liquidate Russian standard rails, the minister said no. «No, It is too soon to speak of that, because the same railway width is used in Ukraine. I believe the war in Ukraine will end and we may have a large and important role in Ukraine’s restoration. Our sea ports and railway can be used to transport construction materials and many other goods to Ukraine,» said Vitenbergs, adding that it is possible that political regimes in Russia and Belarus may change as well.
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