# EUROPE | Rail Baltica



## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

_*Rail Baltica*_ is an ongoing greenfield railway infrastructure project to link Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with a European standard gauge rail line. Its purpose is to provide passenger and freight service between participating countries and improve rail connections between Central and Northern Europe. Furthermore, it is intended to be a catalyst for building the economic corridor in Northeastern Europe. The project envisages a continuous rail link from Tallinn (Estonia) to Warsaw (Poland). It consists of links via Riga (Latvia), Kaunas and Vilnius (Lithuania). Rail Baltica is one of the priority projects of the European Union: _Trans-European Transport Networks_ (TEN-T).












The railway project will enable intermodality and multimodality (i.e. transportation of freight through two or more methods of transportation). Rail Baltica includes plans for three multimodal freight terminals which will be located in Muuga Harbour (Estonia), Salaspils (Latvia), and Kaunas (Lithuania). This is intended to create synergies with the existing 1,520 mm railway system infrastructure. Seven international passenger stations (in Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Riga Airport, Panevežys, Kaunas, Vilnius) with potential regional stations and connections to airports and seaports.[5]

Rail Baltica will be built as a new, publicly owned, fast conventional double-track (quadruple track if the railway will run freight trains) electrified and ERTMS-equipped railway line with a maximum speed of 249 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight trains. The new railway line will be designed with a 1,435 mm gauge. Other key technical parameters include the following:


The maximum freight train length will be 1,050 m.
The maximum axle load will be 25 tonnes.
There should be no level crossing with roads and with 1,520 mm railways for the Rail Baltica infrastructure.
For maintenance and emergency services, access to the main line should be every 2-3 km and in specific areas.
The railway will have ballasted track.
Its energy system should be 25 kV.
Its double track side should be right-hand running.
It is ERTMS (ETCS Level 2, Baseline 3)
Its parameters are in accordance with the EU Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI – P2, F1).

The planning phase of Rail Baltica took place from 2010 to 2017. The design phase began in 2016, with design activities at the Riga Central Passenger Station and the Riga International Airport passenger station in Latvia to be continued till 2023. Meanwhile, the construction of the Rail Baltica infrastructure is planned to start in 2019 and should be completed in 2026.

The section from Helsinki to Tallinn will be operated by existing commercial ferries. In the future, a proposed Helsinki to Tallinn Tunnel could provide a rail link between the two cities. The length of the railway between Tallinn and Warsaw will be at least 950 kilometres (590 mi). Total length of the Baltic railway part will be 870 km.














Official website of the Rail Baltica Global Project 

*____*

🔼🔼🔼 Originally posted by @Gusiluz:








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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

*Final design contracts for Latvian Rail Baltica line awarded* IRJ Apr 6, 2020 


> RB Rail, the body implementing the Rail Baltica project, has awarded two contracts on behalf of the Latvian Ministry of Transport for design and design supervision of the two remaining sections of the Latvian main line.
> The contracts, which were awarded to the most economically advantageous bidders, come as Latvia’s transport minister announced that the Rail Baltica project is continuing to proceed despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
> 
> Ineco-Ardanuy has been awarded a €13.5m contract for the Vangaži – Latvian-Estonian border section, while Idom has been awarded an €6.9m contract for the Misa – Latvian-Lithuanian border section.
> ...











Source: Ineco


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## mgk920 (Apr 21, 2007)

A standard gauge railroad tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki? How long would that be and how likely is that to be built? Also, if this catches on, might we see subsequent proposals for further extensions and/or reconstruction other existing broad gauge lines to standard gauge?

Mike


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## [atomic] (Oct 12, 2013)

mgk920 said:


> A standard gauge railroad tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki? How long would that be and how likely is that to be built? Also, if this catches on, might we see subsequent proposals for further extensions and/or reconstruction other existing broad gauge lines to standard gauge?
> 
> Mike


It is about 50 km coast to coast, of course the tunnel will be much longer than that, maybe as much as 80km. But as far as I remember it is all bedrock, so it will be easier to do than the channel tunnel, which is 50km long, but the crossing at this point is only 36km.
As awesome as it would be I do not see it at all. Finland is not the UK, weather you compare population, economy, and so on.


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

Conversion to standard gauge? Probably not until the end of the century, even assuming it's an advantage. Spain hasn't started yet, 30 years after the first standard gauge HS line opened (Madrid <-> Sevilla, 1992), if I remember correctly there is kind of a plan for some conversions, but nothing serious about the whole network, only where new HS infrastructure is being built (Gusiluz correct me!!!)

I think for the baltic states any discussion will begin only after the completion of Rail Baltica, for Finland who knows.
Finland is currently evaluating an internal green field HS project, it's likely it will be broad gauge due to the travel integration with Russia, but there might be a small chance they evaluate standard gauge (my speculation).


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

^^ There are no concrete plans or deadlines in Spain beyond those of the EU's TEN-T corridors, and even in these they will only require ERTMS in 2030 and not the gauge change.

Nor do I believe that Finland's export/import capacity by train will make the tunnel necessary; for the time being by ferry and ship.


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (continued): 

*Status*
In 2017, all three Baltic parliaments ratified the Inter-Governmental Agreement for the Rail Baltica project, thereby confirming their long-term commitment to the Rail Baltica project. In addition, Rail Baltica Global Project's cost-benefit analysis was delivered by Ernst & Young and Atkins International experts, based on the European Union's CBA guidelines, proving that the project is financially feasible and viable, and its measurable benefits will outweigh the costs.

On 14 February 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration of the Republic of Estonia approved the spatial plan for the Rail Baltica railway in Estonia, leading to the setting of the final route and preliminary design of the railway in this northern Baltic State. The spatial planning for the entire line was approved in Latvia by the decision of the Latvian Government in August 2016, and followed by the approval of the Lithuanian Government in January 2017 for their respective section from Kaunas to the Lithuanian-Latvian border in Lithuania (The route for the section Kaunas–Lithuania/Poland State border, known as Rail Baltica I, is subject to the results of the Upgrade Feasibility study). In the light of Estonia's decision, the spatial territorial planning and preliminary technical design of the Rail Baltica railway in the Baltic States has been finalised.

*Map of Rail Baltica with stations*:









The Rail Baltica project has entered the design phase in all three Baltic States with the approval of the Detailed Design Guidelines for Rail Baltica, continuing the work on the consolidated preliminary technical design, tendering the detailed technical design services, preparing BIM strategy. On 20 March 2018, the first Rail Baltica construction design and supervision contract of Rail Baltica's Riga International Airport railway station, related infrastructure and viaduct was signed by "Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas" SIA and the winner of the open International tender – partnership of suppliers from three countries "PROSIV" ("Sintagma" (Italy), "Prodex" (Slovakia) and "Vektors T" (Latvia)). During the Rail Baltica Global Forum 2018, the project implementers introduced the plans for the Rail Baltica design phase to around 500 suppliers from 24 countries.

In 2018, it is planned to finalise the long-term Business Plan, Operational Plan, the Upgraded Feasibility Study of the European gauge railway line from Kaunas to Lithuanian/Polish border, Infrastructure Management Study and other studies related to commercialisation and supply materials.

Rail Baltica Project Structure









*Project implementers*
The Rail Baltica project is being implemented by the three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Finland announced in February 2019 that it will also join the project.

The Beneficiaries of the Rail Baltica project are ministries of the three Baltic States – Estonia's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Latvia's Ministry of Transport and Lithuania's Ministry of Transport and Communications. In 2014 they established a joint venture RB RAIL AS to be the Main Coordinator and project implementer for the purpose of completing the railway and developing the Rail Baltica project. Its main business is the design, construction and marketing of the railway. RB Rail AS also submits EU financing proposals for the Rail Baltica purchasing body for all parties for the procurement of studies, plans, designs for the global project, sub-systems (Control, Command, and Signalling and Energy/Electrification), raw materials and key components, and cross-border track sections.

Rail Baltic Estonia OU and the Estonian Technical Regulatory Authority in Estonia, Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas SIA in Latvia, Rail Baltica statyba UAB and Lietuvos geležinkeliai JSC in Lithuania are the national Implementing Bodies, to be joined by Finland's Oy Suomen Rata AB subsidiary Rail Baltica Company. All constructon carried out by the implementing bodies is done under the supervision of RB Rail AS and is based on common procurement principles, rules and contract templates.

*Financing*
The total estimated cost of the Rail Baltica Global project is 5.8 billion euros in all three Baltic States according to the Cost-Benefit Study carried out by EY in 2017.

The Feasibility study of Rail Baltica in the three Baltic States carried out by AECOM in 2011 had estimated cost of 3.6 billion euros for the railway and proved that Rail Baltica is economically viable. Based on that study, key political and practical decisions – both on the national and EU level – were made to implement Rail Baltica.

Since the AECOM study the project has matured, and essential elements have subsequently been added to the Rail Baltica Global Project for better connectivity, passenger mobility and inter-modality. Additions to the Global Project include routing the Rail Baltica passenger mainline through the Riga International Airport and construction of the airport passenger station (Latvia), the Kaunas–Vilnius connection (Lithuania), an improved connection in Kaunas city (Lithuania), and construction of the tram line "Ülemiste-Tallinn airport" (Estonia). Moreover, the Environmental Impact Assessments, spatial planning and some preliminary designs have been prepared allowing to better estimate the investments needed for the project.

Thus, in April 2017, the overall cost of the Rail Baltica Global Project implementation in three countries, including the construction of the Kaunas-Vilnius section, was estimated at about €5.8 billion. According to the Ernst & Young (EY) cost-benefit analysis, the project's economic feasibility and benefits society will gain was proved, providing the necessary updated parameters for continued EU and national co-financing of the project.

The project's profitability lies in its wider socio-economic benefits, which are estimated by EY at around €16.22 billion. In addition, there will be several immeasurable (mostly, catalytic) benefits that would be created by Rail Baltica through regional integration, tourism development, new business creation, increased attractiveness to FDI, access to new export markets, technological transfer, innovation, etc.

The project is financed by the member states and the European Union TEN-T budget, and the Structural and Cohesion Funds provided to the EU New Member States. By the start of 2018, the three Baltic States and RB RAIL AS have received two grants designed under the CEF for the construction of the Rail Baltica railway, having signed Grant Agreements with a total value of 765 million euros. As of 13 July, third Grant agreement was signed for the total amount of 130 million euros from which 110 million euros is CEF contribution.

Financial contributions from CEF and national countries (in millions of euros), July 2018:


In total824Estonia235Latvia303Lithuania286

*Route and standard*
In 2011, the three Baltic States agreed on a route connecting Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevėžys, and Kaunas. A feasibility study for this option estimated the line will cost about €3.68 billion in total.

Initially two options were considered. Both options included an upgrade of the existing railway (with standard gauge) to 160 km/h (99 mph) for the stretch that runs from Warsaw via Białystok and Ełk to Trakiszki, followed by a new railway with standard gauge Trakiszki–Kaunas. For the remainder of the route to Tallinn two different options were considered:


Option one was to upgrade the existing railway from Joniškis via Riga and Tartu to Tallinn to 160 km/h, keeping the current Russian gauge and state-owned, and a new railway from Kaunas–Joniškis with 160 km/h, also at Russian gauge and state-owned. Because of the break of gauge at Kaunas, passengers would have to change trains there. For freight, a reloading facility or a bogie exchange station would be placed near Kaunas. This option was already completed as Rail Baltica I.
Option two was a new railway with 200 km/h (120 mph) speed standard gauge (with 3 kV DC, the same voltage as in Poland) from Kaunas via Joniškis to Riga, as above, but then continuing in a shorter, straighter line via Pärnu to Tallinn. This option was chosen as the preferred route. The existing Lelle-Pärnu line in Estonia was pemanently closed for passenger operations on 9 December 2018, as it required a €17 million refurbishment.
During the planning of the location of the project route in the Baltic States a conceptual agreement among the three Baltic States was reached that it should be as straight as possible as it provides the highest benefits at the lowest cost. The shorter and more direct the route is, the faster traffic it is possible to ensure, which economically has the highest advantage compared to its alternatives. This was confirmed by the AECOM study in 2013, analysing the four possible options of the location of the route in all three Baltic countries.

In 2017, the Parliaments of the three Baltic States ratified the intergovernmental Agreement on Rail Baltica stating "route" shall be from Tallinn though Pärnu–Riga–Panevezys–Kaunas to the Lithuanian/Polish state border with a connection of Vilnius–Kaunas as a part of the railway and defining the design speed 240 km/h for passenger travel. Now the Rail Baltica Global Project route is aligned from Tallinn till Kaunas with already built European gauge railway line section from Kaunas-Lithuanian/Polish border being subject to the results of the Upgrade Feasibility Study. Nevertheless, in April 2018 the Ministries of the three Baltic States approved the Design Guidelines of Rail Baltica, which states that the maximum design speed will be 249 km/h and maximum operational speed should be 234 km/h.


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

Cost-Benefit Study by Ernst&Young made in 2017:





This doesn't have much to do with it, but it's in the studio and I found it interesting:


It deals with the subject of the tunnel Vuosaari (Finland)-Muuga (Estonia):


> For various reasons, the development of a tunnel underneath the Gulf of Finland in recent years has gained considerable political and public support. Even though it is the most expensive alternative, a tunnel would completely remove the Gulf of Finland barrier to enable a fast, sustainable and reliable cargo flow between Finland and Eastern Europe (see Figure 55). In June 2016, the EU INTERREG Central Baltic Programme 2014-2020 allocated one million euros for conducting a feasibility study for the potential tunnel project as it would potentially have a high impact on the areas freight ecosystem. However, due to unclear feasibility and time schedule for this project, for the purposes of the analysis it is expected that the tunnel will not be completed within the life cycle of the Rail Baltica project.


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

Taken from the official Rail Baltica project page:

*Rail Baltica – Project of the Century*
*Rail Baltica* is a greenfield rail transport infrastructure project with a goal to integrate the Baltic States in the European rail network. The project includes five European Union countries – Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and indirectly also Finland. It will connect Helsinki, Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevežys, Kaunas, Vilnius, Warsaw. The Baltic part of the Rail Baltica project is referred to as the Rail Baltica Global Project.

The *largest Baltic-region infrastructure project* in the last 100 years
A 10-year construction period
For both passenger and freight traffic
Length: 870 km
Environmentally friendly – *powered by electricity*, produces less noise and vibration
Max. speed: 249 km/h (passengers), 120 km/h (freight)
More than €5 bn investment in the region
Implemented by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Part of the EU’s *North Sea Baltic TEN-T corridor*
Financed by EU (CEF), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Provides *intermodality/multimodality*
*Environmentally friendly*
Rail Baltica will be fully electrified so that any emissions will be avoided. The newest technologies and materials are going to be utilized in its construction. The line is planned so that it avoids the Natura 2000 protected areas as far as possible and without significant impact on other environmentally sensitive protected areas. Wherever necessary, noise protection barriers will be installed. Special animal passages will be built through the embankment.
*Safe*
Rail Baltica will be built according to the most stringent safety requirements. The newest generation of European railway traffic management system (ERTMS) will be used to control the train movement. All crossings with roads and pedestrian pathways will be at two levels. It will be fenced in full length. Passenger stations will have all the necessary facilities in order to make the access to the train services an easy and pleasant experience to anybody.
*Modern*
Rail Baltica will be built using the most up-to-date technologies and materials. Some of them are still in the process of elaboration, standardization or early stages of commercialization. New intermodal freight terminals will be built in each of the Baltic countries to allow for fast and efficient transfer of containerized cargo between different transport modes. Railway stations will represent the latest developments in the area of multimodal passenger terminals connecting conveniently different urban, regional and long distance services with car and bike parking, shopping and recreative areas.



*Rail Baltica – North-South railway axis*
The Rail Baltica project is a symbolic return of the Baltic States to Europe – until the Second World War the Baltic States were already connected to Europe with 1435 mm wide. But since the middle of 20th century the Baltic countries have been mainly linked to an East-West railway axis using the Russian gauge 1520 mm rails, reflected in current rail traffic flows. Today most rail freight traffic transported by railway in Baltic states originates from CIS countries, in particular from Russia, and rail transport services are mainly provided on East – West axis using existing 1520 mm gauge system which makes it difficult and costly to interconnect the Baltics with the rest of EU via Poland. Therefore, there is a full consensus on the need to eliminate the Baltic missing rail link of the EU’s North Sea – Baltic TEN-T Core Network Corridor ensuring full integration of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the single European railway area.



*The Rail Baltica project is one of the priority transport projects of the European Union because it will:*

*Remove bottlenecks*
*Build missing cross-border connections*
*Promote modal integration and interoperability *


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

From a PDF of the Rail Baltica website:


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

*Detailed technical design* and design-supervision services for the construction of the railway substructure, superstructure and related civil structures contracts: contractor, duration, investment (self-compilation):

Connecting branch from Muuga only for freight (out of kilometre count): 50 km Proposal submission deadline for both tenders is May 15, 2018 (???????)

Tallinn-Rapla (Estonia): 48 km IDOM (Spain) 05/2019 24 months 11.4 M €

Rapla-Pärnu: 71 km IDOM (Spain) 03/2019 24 months 6.8 M €

Pärnu-Border: 93.5 km Obermeyer (Germany) and Prointec (Spain) consortium 27 months 10.8 M €

Border-Vangazzi (Latvia): 94 km Ineco and Ardanuy (Spain) 04/2020 30 months 13.5 M €

Vangazzi-Salaspils-Misa river: 67 km Egis Rail (France), DB Engineering (Germany) and Olimps Ltd (Latvia) 06/2018 12.0 M €

Upeslejas-Riga-Misa river: 56 km IDOM and Ineco (Spain) 06/2019 24 months 12.9 M €

Misa river-Border: 45 km IDOM (Spain) 04/2020 24 months 6.9 M €

Border-Ramygala (Lithuania): 91 km IDOM (Spain) 06/2019 24 months 8.0 M €

Ramygala-Kaunas: 78 km IDOM (Spain) 03/2019 24 months 6.9 M €

Connecting branch Vilnius-Kaunas: 

Kaunas-Punsk (Polish border): 


870 km (643 km designed) and 11 sections: 213 km (213) in Estonia, 265 km (265) in Latvia y 392 km (169) in Lithuania


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

I'm perplexed about the northern approach to Riga... there is already a railway line running parallel to A4/E77, with possibly some decent space for adding tracks or at least convert to dual gauge, and the bypass could have continued along A4 motorway...


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

ICEX (a Spanish state-owned public business entity whose mission is to promote the internationalization of Spanish companies) is well aware of the project, as we have seen from the number of Spanish companies involved.

This is what it says about the section between Kaunas and the Polish border on 16 October 2015.

Rail Baltica Global Project in Lithuania and Latvia - Icex

"*Difference between Rail Baltica Global Project and the generic Rail Baltica*

Until 31 December 2013, the first idea for the project was set out in the 1994 VASAB2010 Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea 2010 document adopted at the Conference of Ministers of Spatial Planning and Development in Tallinn (December 1994). The Rail Baltica project was identified as the 27th of the 30 Priority Projects, called "Rail Baltica Axis: Warsaw-Kaunas-Riga-Tallin-Helsinki". AECOM, in its 2011 feasibility study, estimated the cost of the project at 3.539 billion euros.

As of 1 January 2014 the Baltic part (of the three Baltic countries) of the project was renamed Rail Baltica Global Project (RBGP) and is identified as a high-speed European-gauge railway for passengers and freight, linking Helsinki (eventually), Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas, Warsaw (with a section Kaunas-Vilnius), supported by INEA (successor to the TEN-T EA). Currently (2018), the cost of the Rail Baltica Global Project (the section in the three Baltic States) is estimated to reach 5.8 billion euros.

On 10/16/2015 Lithuania opened a section between Kaunas and the border with Poland (119 km for 120 km/h without electrification), presenting it as the first section of Rail Baltica track built. However, RB Rail AS does not accept this section as part of the RBGP project. It is a European gauge line, but a single track (not split), which does not meet the requirements of the RBGP, and therefore the fit of this track into the RBGP and the changes necessary for its conformity are being studied (by Ardanuy, who won the RB Rail AS competition on this subject in 07/2017)."

This is also explained on Rail Baltica's own website.


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

They are right. How can you complete a new international line in 2015 without electrification, withouth ERTMS, with 120 km/h maximum speed and level crossings? It's not optimal even for freight traffic...


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

davide84 said:


> I'm perplexed about the northern approach to Riga... there is already a railway line running parallel to A4/E77, with possibly some decent space for adding tracks or at least convert to dual gauge, and the bypass could have continued along A4 motorway...


At least in appearance, they have first designed Rail Baltica HSR on its way through Riga and now (on 19 February 2020) have started work on a study that will evaluate the most optimal way to integrate the existing rail network and the new Rail Baltica infrastructure into a single, coordinated rail network for Latvia.

*Study to explore a single fully integrated railway transport system in Riga node*. Rail Baltica website


> An international team of experts has started working on a study which will evaluate the most optimal way to integrate the existing railway network and the new Rail Baltica infrastructure in a single and coordinated railway network for Latvia. Taking into consideration that several railway infrastructure projects being developed at the same time as Rail Baltica, such as infrastructure adaptation for the new rolling stock and electrification, the study will propose a clear roadmap for integrated railway infrastructure development for the Riga node.
> 
> This study links with the strategic objective of the Latvian Ministry of Transport to increase the share of rail for passenger transportation and to promote the shift of passengers from private cars and busses to trains. Construction of the Rail Baltica infrastructure presents a unique opportunity to expand and modernize the existing railway traffic services to meet the increasing demand for fast, convenient and environmentally friendly transportation services in Latvia.
> 
> ...


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

*Operational Plan provides new insights on Rail Baltica international, regional and cargo train movement in 2026-2056*. Rail Baltica.org 12.03.2019

"*Fast speed trains between the capitals will run every two hours*

Rail Baltica high-speed trains from Tallinn to Warsaw and from Tallinn to Vilnius are estimated to run four times per day once the line is launched and up to six times per day within 10 years of operations. Additionally, up to ten trains per day will run on Vilnius-Kaunas-Warsaw route. As a result, Rail Baltica will provide a fast rail connection between the Baltic capitals every two hours.
In addition, the plan includes two night-trains on the route Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warsaw-Berlin and Vilnius-Kaunas-Warsaw-Berlin, enabling passengers to travel further to other destinations in Europe.
Moreover, the passengers will be able to travel by train to Riga International Airport, the busiest one in the region. The travel time will take 1 hour 52 minutes for inhabitants of Tallinn and 1 hour 42 minutes for people from Vilnius. Furthermore, travelers will be able to reach Riga International Airport from the Riga Central Station in around 10 minutes, with minimum one train every 30 minutes.
The frequency of the high-speed trains is based on the anticipated passenger demand, which was assessed in the Rail Baltica Operational Plan for 2026 – 2056. Developed by the German company ETC Gauff Mobility GmbH, in consortium with COWI A/S (Denmark) and Institut für Bahntechnik GmbH (Germany), the plan reflects a modern, integrated approach, where market demand and development is set as the main criteria after which the timetable is defined.
“The main outcome of the operational plan is to indicate how the Rail Baltica infrastructure will meet the transport demand in medium and long term, guaranteeing capacity for all types of train services. This plan will be used to ensure that Rail Baltica track is used efficiently from the first day of its operations and allowing to scale-up passenger and cargo services after the phase-in period,” says Jean-Marc Bedmar, Head of Systems and Operation Department at RB Rail AS.

*Cargo trains*
According to the plan, 2-3 cargo trains per hour with the maximum speed up to 120 km/h will run on the Rail Baltica line. The estimated axle load of trains is 25 tons and length of trains – 1050m. To facilitate freight movement on the line, three large-scale multimodal terminals are being developed – in Muuga (Estonia), Salaspils (Latvia) and Palemonas (Lithuania).
It is expected that 80% of freight trains on Rail Baltica will be intermodal trains, allowing logistic operators to move the freight from roads to rail, by putting containers and trucks on wagons. Important reduction of the air pollution and road traffic congestion are expected, as well as improvement of the overall road traffic safety.

*Regional and cross-border regional trains*
The high-level assessment carried out within the Operational Plan reveals a potential of regional train development in all three Baltic states, with maximum speed 200 km/h. This means that Rail Baltica tracks can be used not only for international train services but also for regional and cross-border regional services, bringing the fast and clean transport mode to different locations throughout the whole Rail Baltica corridor.
For example, the plan suggests a sufficient passenger demand to run regional train services from Bauska to Rīga, from Salacgrīva to Rīga (Latvia), from Pärnu to Tallinn (Estonia), and from Marijampole through Kaunas to Vilnius (Lithuania). Furthermore, the plan indicates a feasible demand for regional cross-border traffic, such as from Marijampole to Rīga (Lithuania-Latvia), or from Tallinn to Riga airport (Estonia-Latvia). It should be noted however, that the future of the regional traffic development on Rail Baltica will require additional studies and governmental decisions.

*About operational plan*
The Operational Plan is based on consolidated studies of passenger and cargo demand for Rail Baltica corridor and defines timetables and types of trains on the line. In addition, the plan includes benchmarked usable rolling stock, indicative locations of infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance facilities as well as detailed track layouts. The main outputs of the Operational Plan will be used for further phases of studies, including the Detailed Technical Design of Rail Baltica infrastructure."


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## Temporarily Exiled (Sep 12, 2018)

For reference, Tallinn to Warszawa is over 1000 km and takes near enough double the projected rail time if travelling by lorry.


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## Bikes (Mar 5, 2005)

If Warsaw to Tallinn is 6 hours and Tallinn to Berlin is 9 hr 40 mins, then they count with 3 hr 40 mins for the Warsaw to Berlin line which is currently around 5 hr 20 mins. Is there any info on this?


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## Tin_Can (Jun 17, 2009)

Oh look,another RB thread  If this project sparked interest in you then there are also (more up to date) threads in Nordic & Baltic forums. Here,here and here. 

Few bits about stuff happening in Estonian part of RB. Track & route planning has been split to three sections. Two sections are drafted by IDOM and one by Obermeyer Planen + Beraten GmbH & Prointec S.A. Terminal station in Tallinn (in Ülemiste district) is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (not sure if recent cyberattacks on ZHA servers also delay project planning),terminal station in Pärnu is designed by architecture bureau Pluss. Smaller stations and stops will use generic designs by 3TI Progetti.

There's one highway viaduct U/C in Tallinn metro area,which is linked to RB project and around 10 more viaducts and railway bridges should go U/C in late 2020/2021 across country in preparation for main RB construction. 

RB Estonian part will also have 11 regional stations in addition to 2 international terminals and regional train service.

On local municipality level there's push to build out Tallinn ring railway using track corridor allocated to RB project (if you look at Tallinn metro area,then RB already covers 50% of ring railway route) to bypass rail network in Tallinn which in places dates back to 1870s and has throughput problems. Ring railway would be on wide 1520mm gauge and separated from RB tracks. So something along the lines of 2+2 tracks.


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## Tonik1 (May 4, 2018)

Bikes said:


> If Warsaw to Tallinn is 6 hours and Tallinn to Berlin is 9 hr 40 mins, then they count with 3 hr 40 mins for the Warsaw to Berlin line which is currently around 5 hr 20 mins. Is there any info on this?



Perhaps they count future HSR in Poland. (So called Y line Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw)

In this case Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan-Berlin


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## Bikes (Mar 5, 2005)

Are they still planning to start construction in 2021, or has this been delayed?


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

^^ The latest news, from April 30th

Rail Baltica project unaffected by coronavirus pandemic IRJ

RB Rail’s chairperson Mr Agnis Driksna says the Rail Baltica high-speed rail project linking Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland is not being disrupted by Covid-19.


> Speaking during an online forum on April 23 attended by around 1000 people from 39 countries, Driksna said: “We are not only delivering the detailed technical design in all of Estonia, Latvia and in two sections of Lithuania, but also developing plans to prepare for the large-scale construction works ahead. The focus is on setting up a procurement system that will enable quality, cost-efficiency and speed in the delivery of construction works and allow both international and local companies to take part in the project.”
> 
> Mr Mark Loader, RB Rail’s chief programme planning officer and management board member, provided the online audience with an insight into the short-term design and construction plans in all three countries and the contracting approach. “Rail Baltica’s timeline is an ambitious one,” Loader said. “Nevertheless, with the right tools and comprehensive planning and risk mitigation in place, we are in a good position to reach this goal. More importantly, we have a clear understanding of the scope of the project and the necessary funding for the current needs has been secured.”
> 
> ...


I have these details written down from April 6th


> “I am pleased that the implementation of the Rail Baltica project is continuing during this difficult period. It is important to increase the design speed so that construction works can be started in Latvia as soon as possible. The active construction phase of Rail Baltica, which *will begin at Riga Central Station this autumn*, will be one of the factors contributing to Latvia’s economic development and will help to recover from the effects of Covid-19.


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## Tonik1 (May 4, 2018)

Bikes said:


> Are they still planning to start construction in 2021, or has this been delayed?



When it comes to Y-line I doubt. They already say design work will be ready in 2022. They also changed railway trajectory, previous maps showed railway fork near Kalisz (south to Wroclaw, north to Poznan), new maps show fork in Sieradz which causes some protest in Kalisz.

What we will see first will be probably Warsaw-Lodz HSR anyway. Government seems to be desperate to finish Solidarity Transport Hub airport at any cost.


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## Tonik1 (May 4, 2018)

Some parts of Rail Baltica in Poland are already modernized.


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## Tin_Can (Jun 17, 2009)

Most recent up to date information about RB project work schedules in Estonia.


Ongoing procurement to move/relocate high voltage power lines which fall into RB corridor. Contract will be signed in 2020 May-June.
By the end of 2020 procurements will start for construction of 2 ecoducts and 5 viaducts on RB corridor (in Harju and Rapla counties). Construction is expected to start in spring 2021.
In 2021 in total construction of 26 RB viaducts and bridges,7 ecoducts and 13 grade separated crossings will begin.
Ülemiste terminal construction tender will begin in first half of 2021.
Pärnu terminal construction tender will also begin in 2021 and construction will begin in spring 2022.


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## TedStriker (May 18, 2009)

LG Cargo, PKP Cargo and CargoBeamer team up to pilot semi-trailers train:


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## kokomo (Sep 29, 2009)

It is clear that UIC gauge disappeared in former Baltic republics due to Soviet influence, how about Poland?


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

The obvious difference is of course that Poland remained to exist as a country, whereas the Baltic states were integrated into the Soviet Union.
The Polish network uses standard gauge, except for a few border stretches and a single track 400km freight line in Russian broad gauge.


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## kokomo (Sep 29, 2009)

Yes, clearly Poland was not incorporated to the USSR but I was wondering if any railway from the Russian imperial age still remained in that gauge


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## Tonik1 (May 4, 2018)

kokomo said:


> Yes, clearly Poland was not incorporated to the USSR but I was wondering if any railway from the Russian imperial age still remained in that gauge


*Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line* It is the westernmost part of the broad-gauge network based on the former Soviet Union. It was build during communism in Poland for steelworks in Katowice and still in use. Connects Poland and Ukraine.

It's not a proper thread to discuss it IMO.









Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## Qtya (Aug 31, 2006)

Pärnu – Latvian border Rail Baltica contract awarded


ESTONIA: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has awarded a consortium of Indra subsidiary Protec and Obermeyer Planen + Beraten a €10·8m contract to provide design and construction supervision services for the 93·5 km section of the double-track route between Pärnu and the border with Latvia...




www.railwaygazette.com


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## ABWera (Apr 26, 2009)

Sprawozdanie specjalne 10/2020: Unijna infrastruktura transportowa – należy przyspieszyć wdrażanie wielkich projektów, tak aby terminowo osiągnąć efekty na poziomie całej sieci


European Court of auditors, the guardians of the EU finances. This site is available in 24 languages




www.eca.europa.eu







> The auditors also identified weaknesses in Member States’ cost-benefit analyses of these multibillion-euro investments: traffic forecasts were potentiallyoveroptimistic and some projects may not be economically viable. This is particularly true of the Rail Baltica line and the rail section of the Fehmarn Belt fixed link with far too few passengers. The auditors also noted that the Commission did not assess the construction specifications independently based on potential passenger and freight traffic flows before awarding EU funding.


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

Despite the title of the article, it looks like the standard gauge tunnel between Finland and Estonia is moving forward... not part of Rail Baltica, but only has sense in connection with it.









Finnish regional council delays Finland - Estonia undersea rail tunnel


Plans to build a high-speed tunnel between Finland and Estonia have been delayed by up to six years after a decision to route the project under Helsinki.




www.railjournal.com


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## Vishek (Jun 19, 2020)

davide84 said:


> Despite the title of the article, it looks like the standard gauge tunnel between Finland and Estonia is moving forward... not part of Rail Baltica, but only has sense in connection with it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is one of the two major infrastructure projects in Scandinavia that needs to be completed, along with a bridge or tunnel that connects Copenhagen southwards to the Mainland.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Value engineering technical solutions have been finalised for two sections of Rail Baltica in Estonia. 

The first is the 16 km Ülemiste-Kangru section. More info: A more detailed technical solution for the Tallinn-Rapla sub-section of the Rail Baltica design section has been completed.





The second is the 14 km long Alu-Mälivere section. More info: Value engineering preferred technical solutions for the first Rail Baltica project section in Estonia have been finalised





The construction of road viaducts and ecoducts is expected to begin already next year.


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## geogregor (Dec 11, 2006)

Tonik1 said:


> What we will see first will be probably Warsaw-Lodz HSR anyway. Government seems to be desperate to *finish* Solidarity Transport Hub airport at any cost.


Finish? They haven't even started.

Looking at situation in aviation (basically empty airport and plenty of spare capacity) I don't see this project happening any time soon...


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

Interesting news. This type of service developments goes in the direction of Rail Baltica:









LTG Link and PKP Intercity to launch Vilnius - Warsaw service


Lithuanian Railways subsidiary LTG Link has signed a letter of intent with PKP Intercity to develop a cross-border service between Vilnius and Warsaw.




www.railjournal.com


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## ArtManDoo (Aug 5, 2008)

davide84 said:


> Interesting news. This type of service developments goes in the direction of Rail Baltica:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Let's say, it will give single seat ride from Kaunas to Warszawa but it is hardly related to Rail Baltica, from service perspective. But from using the infrastructure point of view, good start for sure, to offer at least something.


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## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

edzl.lv might be of interest to you. It deals with everything happening in the project in Latvia (only in Latvian, but google translate ought to work) with lots of details not available on the international site. 

For example here you can see a detailed construction map for the Riga central station: Interaktīvā karte

The construction in Latvia officially starts November 17th with rebuilding of the central station. This year only some demolition work and relocation of infrastructure, more heavy construction around May/June next year. For the rest of the route detailed project work still ongoing. 

The transport minister is saying that everything is on time and funded. I have a feeling 2-3 year delay for the opening is inevitable, but it does seem to become a real project right about now and soon there will be construction work in many places.


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## Robi_damian (Jun 15, 2008)

Sunfuns said:


> edzl.lv might be of interest to you. It deals with everything happening in the project in Latvia (only in Latvian, but google translate ought to work) with lots of details not available on the international site.
> 
> For example here you can see a detailed construction map for the Riga central station: Interaktīvā karte
> 
> ...


About bloody time. I have heard of Rail Baltica for well over a decade now, and the project is long overdue.


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## 33Hz (Jul 29, 2006)

I'm curious as to why the max speed was chosen as relatively low. If you are building a brand new line then is there much more expense to go to 300+ km/h rather than 249- ? 

For example, when the new line opens the journey time from Warsaw to Riga will be 5h 03m - for 560 kms. That's pretty disappointing.

It is a pity, the route could have formed the first half of a high-speed line to Moscow that avoids the issues associated with Belarus.


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## Robi_damian (Jun 15, 2008)

33Hz said:


> I'm curious as to why the max speed was chosen as relatively low. If you are building a brand new line then is there much more expense to go to 300+ km/h rather than 249- ?
> 
> For example, when the new line opens the journey time from Warsaw to Riga will be 5h 03m - for 560 kms. That's pretty disappointing.
> 
> It is a pity, the route could have formed the first half of a high-speed line to Moscow that avoids the issues associated with Belarus.


That is high for a non-dedicated HSR line. And I suspect that the 249 as opposed to 250 is exactly to avoid some of the rigors of having a formal HSR line and minimum technical requirements. Most non-HSR lines in Europe are actually limited to 160 km/h, so Rail Baltica is not that slow.


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## rheintram (Mar 5, 2008)

Over 200 km/h is already high-speed. And this line will be especially important for cargo traffic and connect to many important European corridors. It will link the Baltic and the Adriatic sea for example. Haven't heard of any high-speed cargo trains yet.


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## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

I believe slightly lower speeds than would be technically feasible is just to save costs which are already very high for the three Baltic countries involved. Riga-Warsaw is a bit of a stretch, but travel times will be just right for Riga-Tallinn and Riga-Vilnius (a bit under 2 h for both). Way faster than with a car and that's what you really want to ensure. Even Tallinn-Vilnius (3.5 h) is still within a "train zone". Also I believe the Polish stretch is significantly slower than the part in the Baltic states, but even there it's impossible to drive Vilnius-Warsaw in 4.1 h as the train is forecast to do. 

Anyway the main reason for building all this is freight. Passenger traffic is only a very welcome bonus. Night trains are coming back seemingly in Europe, perhaps we can have a Tallinn-Berlin in the future.


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## MarcVD (Dec 1, 2008)

Rail Baltica is a compromise between passenger and freight traffic. For passenger (speed) you need to avoid sharp curves. For freight, you need to avoid gradients. Avoiding both makes a railway line very expensive.


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## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

MarcVD said:


> Rail Baltica is a compromise between passenger and freight traffic. For passenger (speed) you need to avoid sharp curves. *For freight, you need to avoid gradients.* Avoiding both makes a railway line very expensive.


All free countries are about as hilly as Netherlands so this is no problem at all. It's more about living with slightly smaller curve radius. Also 300 km/h passenger trains and 120 km/h (?) freight trains don't mix well. Passengers trains would need to overtake too often limiting overall capacity. 

I think in terms of speed the line is just right. One could maybe argue about the exact route taken and the rather late inclusion of regional stations.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Sunfuns said:


> All free countries are about as hilly as Netherlands so this is no problem at all. It's more about living with slightly smaller curve radius. Also 300 km/h passenger trains and 120 km/h (?) freight trains don't mix well. Passengers trains would need to overtake too often limiting overall capacity.
> 
> I think in terms of speed the line is just right. One could maybe argue about the exact route taken and the *rather late inclusion of regional stations.*


That was a very big mistake in my opinion because this meant the the route chosen goes around towns rather than through them, especially for places that already have a 1520 mm railway and are within commuting distance from Tallinn.

When considering the maximum line speed, it indeed comes down to both costs and optimizing for a mix of freight and passenger traffic. Most of the benefits in the return on investment are supposed to come from freight rather than passenger traffic.

Unfortunately the Baltics, especially Estonia, is too far from Central and Western Europe for trains to be a viable option for most people to travel between Warsaw and Tallinn, for example. The operational plan does call for night trains between those two cities but I don't see a huge market to be honest. If Poland does improve its railways as well then something like Tallinn-Berlin might be doable as a night train, although it would be very difficult to compare with flights in price.


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## AlbertJP (Aug 28, 2018)

33Hz said:


> It is a pity, the route could have formed the first half of a high-speed line to Moscow that avoids the issues associated with Belarus.


Interesting, but the distance on the current route via Minsk is quite a bit shorter and rerouting the sleeper would strip Belarus of its international train connections with the west. It would need a gauge changer somewhere near Riga in any case, which I haven't seen in the plans so far.


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## rheintram (Mar 5, 2008)

Again, if you have mixed traffic on a certain line the capacity (number of train paths) is vastly reduced if the difference between the slowest and the fastest train is too great. Hence it doesn't make sense to have very high speed trains on this line if it also has regional passenger services and many cargo trains.


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## 33Hz (Jul 29, 2006)

Sunfuns said:


> All free countries are about as hilly as Netherlands so this is no problem at all. It's more about living with slightly smaller curve radius.


They are also pretty empty, so I am not convinced that the curve radius has to be so small.



AlbertJP said:


> Interesting, but the distance on the current route via Minsk is quite a bit shorter


It's actually less than 100km shorter to go via Vilnius and around the north of Belarus than the direct way through Minsk.


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## AlbertJP (Aug 28, 2018)

You mean less than 100km longer. I now see that you're right, even though it looks like more of a detour on the map. It would however depend on the exact route between Vilnius and Warsaw which is still formed by dotted lines on the project website. I don't know the current line speed, so I can't tell whether 400km of high speed rail saves enough time to make up for the additional kilometers, although it does mean less border crossings.

In the end, given the current train is run by the Russian railways, it will probably be a matter of (geo)politics.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

33Hz said:


> They are also pretty empty, so I am not convinced that the curve radius has to be so small.


Where there are fewer people there are more protected nature areas, at least that's usually the case in Estonia. Building anything through or even near Natura 2000 areas, for example, is a bitch and actually some of the planning process has to be redone for RB in Pärnu county in Estonia because some tree huggers sued and won. It supposedly can't be ruled out there there is some negative impact on a nearby Natura 2000 area so they now have to redo the environmental assessment for that part. What's ironic is that if they moved the railway further away from the Natura 2000 area in that place they would have to go through a village and demolish a bunch of houses....


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## eu01 (Oct 14, 2005)

AlbertJP said:


> You mean less than 100km longer.


Well, to be accurate, let's calculate a bit. The distance from Vilnius to Warsaw along the old Warsaw - Petersburg line (va Grodno / Hrodna) is precisely 387 kilometers. On the other hand, travelling via Suwalki - Kaunas (aka Rail Baltica) will take substantially over 500 km, also after taking into account all alignment corrections of the old tracks. Thus, any significant change of political power in Belarus (no doubts Lukashenka will have to go earlier or later), could bring significant shortening of travel time. Besides, look at the geometry of the old line, exceptionally straight all the way, potentially easy to convert to HS line.










On this Wikimedia Commons photo you can see the disused fragment of line in question with the second track dismantled.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Construction for the terminal in Tallinn to start already next year:


> *Construction of Rail Baltica Ülemiste Terminal to Start in 2021
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## La bomba (Apr 14, 2012)

Twelve years ago I went to Lithuania and forgot to make a video of my first experience with the trains in that country. Here I made a video with the forgotten files.


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## Qtya (Aug 31, 2006)

Rail Baltica awarded €214.3m grant agreements


RB Rail, the joint venture which oversees the Rail Baltica project, has been awarded two grant agreements worth €214.3m to support the project.




www.railjournal.com


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## Tin_Can (Jun 17, 2009)

Imho,biggest worry right now is complete lack of interest by project governing company in acquiring HSR rolling stock or finding interested passenger service providers for Rail Baltica. Give the timeline its pretty much last time to start thinking about those problems and yet they haven't even decided how the passenger service will be handled. At worst case scenario we will have line ready in 2026 and it won't have any passenger trains running on it.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Who will own the rolling stock? If it is the service provider they indeed need to choose that first.

As I understand the line is built in complete accordance to applicable EU TSIs, with 25 kV power supply and ERTMS level 2. That should ease the order process, because nothing new is is required. Alstom, Siemens, Stadler, CAF, Talgo, Hitachi and maybe others have of the shelf trains for this.

And as the line is also intended for freight: the requirements set are already met by many if not most international freight trains running at this moment. Those same locomotives can also haul coaches for the time being, albeit not a fast.


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

I guess they might just issue tenders for the time slots and let the operators care about rolling stock. If I remember correctly the HS opening to private operators in Spain is taking 3 years, for Rail baltica there is time...


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

More updates


> *Rail Baltica seeks contractor for building longest railway bridge in the Baltic States
> 
> LTG Infra, the company responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, has launched the second stage of a tender, during which it will select a contractor for the railway bridge over the river Neris near Jonava. This will be the longest railway bridge in the Baltic States, spanning more than 1.5 kilometres. *
> 
> ...


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## Gusiluz (Apr 4, 2013)

Article written by me (in Spanish) on the *Geotrén *website on the new lines (especially those dedicated to passengers) in Eastern and Central Europe:









Proyectos ferroviarios para viajeros en el norte, centro y este de Europa


El más conocido es Rail Baltica, el mayor proyecto ferroviario en Europa, que conectará Estonia (y, eventualmente Finlandia), Letonia y Lituania con Polonia mediante una nueva línea para tráfico mi…



www.geotren.es


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## eu01 (Oct 14, 2005)

Last night (March 11th), negotiators from the European Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the second edition of the EU's flagship programme the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF 2.0). Thanks to that, the programme will continue to fund key projects in the areas of transport, digital and energy, running from 2021 to 2027. The overall budget will be vast indeed, precisely 33.71 billion euros.

According to YLE Finland, the agreement will mean a significant additional funding for Rail Baltica. From the Finnish point of view, it will promote also the Main Line Helsinki - Tampere - Oulu as a part of the trans-European network.


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

In connection or independently from Rail Baltica?


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## eu01 (Oct 14, 2005)

In connection. A bit like E-road network, you can find a few roads with the same E number without any physical connection between them (via ferry only).


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

A Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel could still happen.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

_The RB Rail AS’s cooperation partner, the consortium Obermeyer Planen + Beraten GmbH (Germany) and Prointec S. A (Spain), has completed the development of the value engineering design for the 36-kilometer section of the Rail Baltica railway from Tootsi to Pärnu, detailing the location of the railway and the solutions for the crossings. This sub-section is part of the 93.5-kilometer section from Tootsi to the Latvian state border. 





_


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

"a protocol of intent to build set to be signed by both countries on April 26"









Undersea rail link between Finland and Estonia step closer to fruition


Currently linked only by ferry, the project aims to bring Helsinki and Tallinn together into a single metropolitan area.




www.euronews.com


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## Robert AB (Feb 29, 2020)

*The construction of the Rail Baltica station has just started at the Riga airport*
*Ruszyła budowa stacji Rail Baltiki przy lotnisku w Rydze*


> Another construction site under the Rail Baltica project has been officially inaugurated in Latvia. The construction of the railway station at the Riga airport with the accompanying infrastructure has started. Works on the railway infrastructure are to be completed in the first half of 2023.
> 
> The contract for the construction of a railway station at the Riga airport was signed at the turn of February and March. The works will be carried out by the consortium B.S.I. Infra, which includes Swietelsky AG (Austria), SIA Binders and AK LNK Industries (Latvia). The construction site was officially inaugurated on June 30. The value of the works is EUR 236.961 million net.
> 
> ...





> Na Łotwie oficjalnie zainaugurowano kolejny plac budowy w ramach projektu Rail Baltica. Ruszyła budowa stacji kolejowej przy lotnisku w Rydze wraz z towarzyszącą infrastrukturą. Roboty przy infrastrukturze kolejowej mają zakończyć się w I połowie 2023 r.
> 
> Umowę na budowę stacji kolejowej przy lotnisku w Rydze podpisano na przełomie lutego i mara. Roboty zrealizuje konsorcjum B.S.I. Infra, w skład którego wchodzą firmy Swietelsky AG (Austria), SIA Binders oraz AK LNK Industries (Łotwa). Plac budowy oficjalnie zainaugurowano 30 czerwca. Wartość robót to 236,961 mln euro netto. Więcej o projekcie tutaj.
> 
> ...












































































Ruszyła budowa stacji Rail Baltiki przy lotnisku w Rydze


Na Łotwie oficjalnie zainaugurowano kolejny plac budowy w ramach projektu Rail Baltica. Ruszyła budowa stacji kolejowej przy lotnisku w Rydze wraz z towarzyszącą infrastrukturą. Roboty przy infrastrukturze kolejowej mają zakończyć się w I połowie 2023 r.




www.rynek-lotniczy.pl












Atklāts Rail Baltica stacijas un infrastruktūras būvlaukums lidostā Rīga


Atklāts Rail Baltica stacijas un infrastruktūras būvlaukums lidostā Rīga, informē Eiropas Dzelzceļa...




www.db.lv


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## TedStriker (May 18, 2009)

“Big things have small beginnings.”

First train from Tilburg inaugurates Kaunas Intermodal Terminal: First train from Tilburg inaugurates Kaunas Intermodal Terminal | RailFreight.com


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## Henk Angenent (Jan 21, 2021)

Lithuania selects northern route for Rail Baltica section to capital


The section between Kaunas and Vilnius of the Rail Baltica line in Lithuania will be planned along the northern route, stakeholders recently agreed. The northern route, also called the northern S5 alternative, was deemed the most optimal of four possible routes from a cost-benefit perspective...




www.railtech.com


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Can anyone share some maps or plans for the route? Thanks!


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## Robert AB (Feb 29, 2020)

Rebasepoiss said:


> Can anyone share some maps or plans for the route? Thanks!



*Lithuania selects northern route for Rail Baltica section to capital*
_2022-01-05_



> *The section between Kaunas and Vilnius of the Rail Baltica line in Lithuania will be planned along the northern route, stakeholders recently agreed. The northern route, also called the northern S5 alternative, was deemed the most optimal of four possible routes from a cost-benefit perspective.*
> 
> The added benefit of the northern S5 alternative is that cities of Lentvaris, Vievis and Kaišiadorys can now be connected to the Rail Baltica railway line. Lithuania’s Ministry of Transport and Communications signed off on the alternative route late last week, after consultations with local stakeholders in both the cities and surrounding regions.
> 
> ...











Lithuania selects northern route for Rail Baltica section to capital


The section between Kaunas and Vilnius of the Rail Baltica line in Lithuania will be planned along the northern route, stakeholders recently agreed. The northern route, also called the northern S5 alternative, was deemed the most optimal of four possible routes from a cost-benefit perspective...




www.railtech.com












Alternative for the Rail Baltica "Kaunas – Vilnius" section has been approved | Rail Baltica







www.railbaltica.org






















www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=3b7b29c7ccbe4114b718313fcf61e15d&locale=lt

www.railbaltica.org/
info.railbaltica.org/en/interactive-map
www.rail-baltica.lt/



All route variants considered between Kaunas and Vilnius:









www.delfi.lt/verslas/nuomones/gediminas-vaitkevicius-kedainiai-tures-tik-tris-rail-baltica-gelezinkelio-stotis.d?id=88448429

.


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## Qtya (Aug 31, 2006)

Rail Baltica contracts awarded and Tallinn station name announced


EUROPE: Further contracts have been awarded for the Rail Baltica standard gauge line project, and the name of the future terminal in Tallinn has been announced.




www.railwaygazette.com


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## Jan de Vu (Jun 15, 2016)




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## Jan de Vu (Jun 15, 2016)




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## [email protected] (Jul 25, 2010)




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## Luki_SL (Apr 11, 2005)

*Lithuania begins construction of longest railway bridge in Baltics*









Lithuania begins construction of longest railway bridge in Baltics


Construction of a new Rail Baltica railway bridge, the longest of its kind in the Baltic countries, is getting underway ...




www.lrt.lt


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## Küüäi (Feb 15, 2015)

First smaller constructions are nearing completion in Estonian Raplamaa DPS1 section.

Künka viaduct:










Loone ecoduct:










Tagadi viaduct with Urge ecoduct in the background:









Source: Rail Baltic Estonia Facebook

In addition, some drone views from the Harjumaa DPS1 Assaku viaduct construction:


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## davide84 (Jun 8, 2008)

I like the concept of "ecoducts". I believe that if planned early enough they constitute a very small fraction of the overall budget, but provide tangible benefits.


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## VITORIA MAN (Jan 31, 2013)

Edited


----------

