Latvian Ministry of Transport reports that the total funding allocated by Connecting Europe Facility towards Rail Baltica railway project to Latvia is EUR 538 million. The country has already gone through 42% of this funding.
The funding provided to Baltic States for the implementation of this project is approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Countries have so far used 34% of this amount.
In the coming years the amount of construction work will continue expanding. This means the project’s construction costs will go up. Ministry of Transport Railway Policy and Infrastructure Department Director Kārlis Eņģelis stresses that ‘it is important to prove our ability to use the funding allocated for the project with tangible work’.
The period for use of funding allocated by CEF I and CEF II ends in December 2024 (CEF I) and December 2026 (CEF II).
Representatives of the ministry, Baltic joint company RB Rail JSC and Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas LLC, which is the company responsible for the project’s implementation in Latvia, have met and have discussed the progress with reaching goals listed for the first Military Mobility Agreement phase of the project intended for development of infrastructure that simultaneously serves civilian and military needs.
Special emphasis is put on the bridge over Daugava River, Riga Freight Park and Salaspils Intermodal Freight Terminal construction processes.
RB Rail representatives also presented a report on progress with designing the main railway line in preparation for construction work. Construction work is in full swing in Riga’s central hub and in the vicinity of Riga International Airport, where preparations are underway for a railway and air connection to accommodate passenger and freight transports.
Work is also underway on Latvia’s first and longest railway overpass. Construction workers are also busy constructing the foundation of Rail Baltica railway station and baggage transportation tunnel that will connect this railway station with Riga International Airport’s new terminal in the future. On top of that, it is planned to create a connection with the freight park for development in the future.
As it is known, Rail Baltica project provides for the creation of a European-standard width railway line reaching from Tallinn to Lithuania to the Polish border, connecting Baltic States and other European countries. It is planned to establish in Baltic States a new 870 km long railway line with rails 1 435 mm wide (European standard) that allows trains to reach a speed of up to 240 km/h.
Initially it was planned for project costs to reach EUR 5.8 billion. However, all sides have said on multiple occasions that costs are significantly up. Part of the costs are covered by funding from the European Union. Rail Baltica is planned to be completed in sections between 2028 and 2030.
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Ministry reports Latvia has gone through 42% of funding provided for Rail Baltica
