Rail Baltica construction officially starts

Construction work officially got under way at Riga International Airport June 30 on the railway station that will provide an important regional link between air and rail travel. A ceremony was held to mark the occasion.

The construction works will be performed in five stages until December 2025. The first stage will include the construction of the Rail Baltica infrastructure from the existing Imanta railway station to Rīga International Airport as well as construction of the station terminal, which is planned to be completed by March / April 2023. 

“Rail Baltica station at the Riga Airport will strengthen the role of the capital of Latvia as the Baltic and Nordic aviation centre. It will contribute considerably to improving the airport’s connectivity both with our neighbouring countries and within our country, as well as enable Riga Airport as a convenient, modern and multimodal transport and business centre,” said Tālis Linkaits, the Minister of Transport in Latvia.

“Opening the new station construction works is a significant milestone that confirms the Rail Baltica progress and maturity across all three Baltic states. Already now we see that Rail Baltica international stations, including the one in Riga International Airport, create future value by promoting both the establishment of a convenient and multimodal public transport hub and laying a strong foundation for attracting new investments, forming new partnerships and creating new services,” said Agnis Driksna, RB Rail AS Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board. 

RB Rail, the joint venture of the three Baltic states which is overseeing the project said it is planned that the construction team will consist of 65 leading specialists of B.S.L. Infra, and during the busiest construction period, the facility will employ more than 300 workers at a time. The construction process will be led by Bernhard Buchner of Swietelsky AG.

Construction progress can be followed on website www.edzl.lv, while information about traffic changes and other practical information can be found both on www.edzl.lv and the Rail Baltica global project official website railbaltica.org.  

Around 81-85% of the total eligible costs of the Rail Baltica project that is implemented by the three Baltic states, are provided by the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) infrastructure financing instrument, whereas the remaining part – by the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian State budgets.

Source: eng.lsm.lv