The construction of the first phase of the railway project "Rail Baltica" may be delayed by 3–5 years, said Maris Dzelme, chairman of the board of the national project implementer in Latvia — LLC "Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas" (EDzL), in an interview on the "Morning Panorama" program on Latvian Television (LTV), according to LETA.
"I think we will be delayed by 3–5 years," said Dzelme, adding that a more accurate forecast could be given when it becomes clear when and to what extent funding for the first phase of the project will be available.
He also indicated that the first phase of "Rail Baltica" will be redesigned for both technical reasons and the need to reduce costs.
"In the first phase, we are not building a full line, but only one track with passing loops along the route," he noted. Instead of the originally planned double-track route, one track and several stations will be built.
According to Dzelme, the redesign may cost around eight million euros. However, he emphasized that these costs are justified, as the redesign is expected to save between 100 and 200 million euros.
As previously reported, EDzL is negotiating with the current project developer — the Spanish company Idom — regarding its adaptation and redesign. If an agreement cannot be reached, according to the head of EDzL, a new tender for the redesign will have to be announced.
The "Rail Baltica" project involves the construction of a European standard gauge railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian border with Poland, to connect the Baltic countries with the rest of Europe. A new railway line of 870 kilometers in length with a gauge of 1435 mm and a maximum train speed of 240 km/h is planned to be built in the Baltic countries.
On Tuesday, January 27, at a meeting of the Saeima Committee on Economic Affairs, Agriculture, Environment and Regional Policy, it was stated that 3–4 billion euros are needed to complete the first phase of "Rail Baltica," that is, the main route.
By the beginning of 2026, 33 kilometers have been transferred to the contractor of the main route "E.R.B. Rail JV."
According to previously announced information from the company "RB Rail," the cost of the first phase of "Rail Baltica" in the Baltic countries may amount to 14.3 billion euros, of which Latvia's share is 5.5 billion euros. At the same time, savings of up to 500 million euros are possible through the optimization of technical solutions, as well as other potential cost reductions.
The total cost of the project, according to the cost-benefit analysis, could reach 23.8 billion euros. In the previous analysis from 2017, it was estimated that the entire project would cost 5.8 billion euros.
