Latvia to commence construction of Rail Baltica mainline
Posted: 23 May 2024 | | No comments yet
Latvia has reached another milestone in the Rail Baltica project by beginning construction of its mainline. On 21 May the Rail Baltica team, representatives from the European Commission and international partners from France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia gathered in Riga. They marked the occasion by sending messages to future generations through a time capsule to be embedded at the construction site.
“The significance of the Rail Baltica project in ensuring a fast and reliable connection for the Baltic region with Western Europe is particularly high in the current geopolitical conditions. The delivery of our shared ambition is to ensure a cross-border connection during the first phase of the Rail Baltica project by 2030, including the integration of Riga. Thus, the construction of the mainline is a top priority. We have undertaken the necessary preliminary work to hand over the subsequent tasks to experienced builders. I wish success and achievement to our partner teams from France, Italy and Poland!” explains minister of Transport of Latvia Kaspars Briškens.
“Rail Baltica brings us a step closer to the “Europe of trains” mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron, that we are building, for a concrete, powerful, sustainable, and united Europe. It is an honour for France to be able to showcase the knowledge and expertise of its industrial champions in the rail sector, together with Latvian and European partners,” said Minister of Foreign Trade of France Franck Riester.
The joint venture ERB Rail JV, employed by the Rail Baltica national implementing body in Latvia – Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas will oversee the construction of approximately 230 km of the mainline railway. This includes 175 engineering structures, 11 animal crossings, 42 viaducts, 81 road bridges, and 32 rail bridges.
“Latvia starts mainline construction with considerable experience under the belt – we build on the experience of construction in RIX Riga Airport and Riga Central Hub sections, and have a calibre of partners – Contractor, Engineer – to tackle this next project phase with confidence,” underlays Chairman of the Management Board of Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas Ēriks Diļevs.
The commencement of construction on the Rail Baltica mainline marks a significant milestone, demonstrating the project’s progress and making it more tangible. “This year, over 150 km of the Rail Baltica mainline will be under construction. While many milestones remain to be achieved and challenges to be faced, the success of the next phases will hinge on the collaboration between the various project partners and contractors involved. I extend my best wishes for success to our newly onboarded partner and all the teams,” says interim Chairperson of the Management Board of RB Rail AS Marko Kivila.
