Rail Baltica is plagued with problems, especially in Latvia. Some refreshing positive news is in order, and that has come from Estonia: the country has secured the construction of the entire Rail Baltica mainline through contracts.
The Estonian section of Rail Baltica will be 213 kilometres in length, which are now entirely covered by construction contracts, according to Anvar Salomets, chairman of the board of Rail Baltic Estonia. With over a billion euros in financial commitments, the project is starting to look like a single railway corridor, rather than fragmented sections of rail.
In the coming year, Estonia intends to announce tenders for projects beyond mainline construction. That includes a freight terminal in Muuga, a rolling stock depot at the far end of Rail Baltica in Ülemiste as well as a traffic management system. “These are the components that will turn the railway into a full-fledged transport system, linking it with the economy and the daily lives of people”, Salomets is cited as saying by Latvian media.
Timeliness is the challenge
Once completed, Rail Baltica should provide a continuous standard-gauge rail connection from Tallinn, across all Baltic states to Poland. Despite the numerous problems, the project is underway, and that is a win in itself. “Previously, the main question was whether the Rail Baltica project would ever be implemented. Now the challenge is its execution: the timely completion of the complex cross-border railway system and ensuring that all accompanying infrastructure is ready by the time train operations begin”, Anvar Salomets commented.