Despite an agreement among the Baltic states to extend the deadline for completing the first phase of the European railway project Rail Baltica until 2034, Lithuanian Transport Minister Juras Taminskas has said Lithuania intends to stick to the original plan and complete the project by 2030, Lithuanian business portal Verslo žinios reported on Monday.
Taminskas told the portal that Lithuania would seek to complete construction of the railway line from Kaunas to Panevėžys by 2030 because of the project’s strategic importance for transport, security, military mobility and economic competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Rail Baltica project manager in Lithuania Mindaugas Ivanavičius told Verslo žinios that LTG Infra, the infrastructure company of state-owned railway operator Lietuvos geležinkeliai responsible for implementing the project in Lithuania, is not slowing down and continues design, procurement and construction work.
As previously reported, the Baltic states have agreed to extend the deadline for the first phase of the Rail Baltica railway project until 2034. The three countries have prepared a final document notifying the European Commission (EC) of their joint agreement on how to proceed with the project.
“The project deadline of 2030 is not realistic,
and all three Baltic states have agreed on 2034 as the deadline for the first phase,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (United List) stressed.
In their joint declaration, the Baltic prime ministers reaffirm the importance of Rail Baltica as a shared strategic project for strengthening European security, military mobility, connectivity and competitiveness. They also commit to working together to ensure that construction of the Rail Baltica main line under the EU’s next multiannual financial framework proceeds as closely as possible to the agreed timetable.
The Baltic states will seek to secure EU funding for the project, maintain an EU co-financing rate of up to 85%, and create the conditions necessary for uninterrupted construction until the beginning of the new EU financial planning period.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have agreed to jointly advocate for at least 10 billion euros to be allocated to Rail Baltica under the EU’s multiannual financial framework. The prime ministers also agreed to instruct their respective transport ministers to review project costs and meet regularly to coordinate measures aimed at reducing expenditure.
The countries also plan to cooperate on cutting project costs, improving project governance
and ensuring closer coordination of their actions. Baltic leaders agree that Rail Baltica’s full potential can only be realised through a continuous cross-border railway connection linking the Baltic states with the rest of Europe.
The joint Baltic declaration states that the countries are committed to ensuring that the Rail Baltica main line becomes operational during the next EU multiannual financial framework period from 2028 to 2034, while maintaining the ambition to continue construction as closely as possible to the currently agreed 2030 timetable set out in the EC implementing decision.
To achieve this, the project partners will put the necessary common systems into operation in a timely manner, establish construction schedules and investment priorities, and define each country’s obligations in order to jointly move the project forward.
The process will be closely coordinated with the European Commission and Poland to ensure alignment on Rail Baltica connectivity, financing mechanisms, comprehensive work plans and common implementation deadlines.
The Rail Baltica project envisages the construction of a European-standard-gauge railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border, enabling the Baltic states to be connected by rail with other European countries.
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