THE Lithuanian parliament voted on October 10 in favour the Rail Baltica project to build an 870km standard-gauge 240km/h mixed-traffic railway linking the Baltic state capitals with Poland and the broader European railway network, thereby completing the ratification of the project.
A ceremony was held in the Estonian capital Tallinn on August 30 to mark the operation of the first tram on a new link from the future Rail Baltica station at Ülemiste to Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport.
RB RAIL, which is responsible for the Rail Baltica project to build an 870km standard-gauge 240km/h mixed-traffic railway linking the Baltic state capitals with Poland and the broader European railway network, has launched two tenders.
THE European Commission (EC) decided on July 25 to allocate €110.5m to the Rail Baltica project, and also confirmed that funding agreements would be signed by the end of November.
RB Rail, the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian joint venture responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica standard-gauge high-speed project, has awarded a €563,065 contract to Systra to develop design guidelines for the project.
RB Rail, the company set up to oversee the Rail Baltica high-speed rail project to link the three Baltic states to Poland, has appointed its management team and published the results of a cost-benefit analysis.
THE prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Tallinn on January 31 to sign an agreement on the implementation of the Rail Baltica standard-gauge link between the three countries.
Funding and soft loans from European Union facilities and affiliated organisations promise to deliver long-awaited Eastern European rail infrastructure improvements over the next decade or so. Artur Perchel, manager, Central Eastern Europe & Israel at the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), assesses the impact.
DECLINING trade with Russia inflicted a heavy toll on rail freight traffic in Estonia last year, according to annual traffic figures from national rail freight operator EVR Cargo, which reveal volumes plunged by 26.6% year-on-year to 11.6 million tonnes.
THE extension of the European standard-gauge network through Lithuania to Latvia and Estonia took an important step forward on November 24 with the signing of a €734m European Union (EU) grant funding agreement for the Rail Baltica project.
