It is well known that Latvia has not had an easy time so far with the construction of its part of Rail Baltica. It seems that the country does not have the financial resources to build it. It is very likely that the construction of Rail Baltica will be delayed and the project may not even be completed by 2035, according to RailFreight.
Of the 200km of Rail Baltica planned in Latvia, the country has a plan for less than a quarter. According to Andris Kulbergs, a member of the Saeima and head of the Rail Baltica parliamentary inquiry commission, only 43km have been approved.
This would mean that the Latvian part of Rail Baltica will not see the light of day until 2030 at the earliest, writes Estonian broadcaster ERR.
“The Ministry of Transport explained to us a month ago that construction to Salaspils is not possible in seven to eight years,” Kulberg explained.
“The next stage is towards Estonia. At the moment we have no documentation, no project and no funding. In Latvia, this stage would need at least 2.7 billion euros, and we don’t have that. Therefore, 2035 is the most realistic time when we can hope to reach the Estonian border,” the deputy explained.
There seems to be very little progress towards completing the Estonian section of the standard gauge railway.
Not even before 2035?
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Estonian politician and head of the anti-corruption committee, is also rather pessimistic. “At the moment, our colleagues from Latvia tell us that there will be no railway by 2035.” This would be a new worst-case scenario in the Rail Baltica saga.
However, Estonia is pressing ahead with plans to complete its section by 2030, as originally planned.
“No one has officially confirmed that Latvia will not complete construction by 2030,” said Anvar Salomets, CEO of Rail Baltic Estonia.
However, it is still very important to complete the railway on time. About 85% of the funding for the project comes from the EU, which wants the line completed by 2030. Otherwise, the project could lose one billion euros of European funding in Latvia. This would be a severe blow for Rail Baltica, especially given that Latvia’s main obstacle to completing its part on time is mainly due to a lack of funding.