Rail Baltica Academy Returns for Third Year, Promising an Array of Engaging Digital Lectures

“Rail Baltica Academy” is a global knowledge-sharing platform that provides a series of public lectures for STEM students as well as for the general public across the Baltic countries. 

 

Rail Baltica Academy Spring session 2023

June 28, 15:00

Artūrs Caune, Chairman of the Board of the Road Transport Administration (Latvia). “Refined and Complex Art of Transport Scheduling” [Session language: English]

In this lecture, Artūrs Caune, a longstanding member of the Rail Baltica team, introduces the key principles of timetabling and explains how Rail Baltica will affect the entire public transport system in case of Latvia.

Rail Baltica traffic is planned to adhere to the transport timetabling concept developed by Swiss Federal Railways, inspired by the renowned Swiss Clock. For instance, at Riga station, the central hub of the system, trains from and to all directions will be able to meet every hour, allowing convenient interchanges between trains in optimal comfort conditions. Additionally, the timetable regularity entails the full integration and synchronization of various train categories, including high-speed, night trains, regional, and suburban trains, operating on both Rail Baltica and Latvian Railway networks. Furthermore, it will allow to synchronize the public transport system even further, extending the same principles to regional bus network and improving connectivity with urban public transport services.

 

June 21, 15:30

Ramiro Alberto Rios, Senior Urban Transport Consultant at the World Bank. “Gateway to the city: Maximizing the Potential of International Rail Stations” [Session language: English]

In this Rail Baltica Academy lecture, Ramiro Alberto Rios, Senior Urban Transport Consultant at the World Bank, talks about the diverse opportunities presented by international rail stations emphasizing the importance of integration, accessibility, climate resilience, and careful planning to fully unleash their potential. Urban rail projects are game changers for making cities better, transforming traditional railway stations into dynamic hubs that go beyond mere structures.

 

June 12, 14:00

Arenijus Jackus, Head of Rail Baltica Coordination at LTG Infra. “Rail Baltica: Project Evolution in Brief” [Session language: English]

A. Jackus will provide a concise overview of the development and progress of the Rail Baltica project. It covers the evolution of the project, highlighting key milestones and achievements since its inception. The lecture will explore topics such as the strategic importance of Rail Baltica for Baltic countries, its impact on regional connectivity, economic benefits, and the challenges encountered during its implementation. Overall, attendees can expect to gain a comprehensive understanding of the project’s evolution and its significance in shaping transportation infrastructure in the Baltic region.

 

June 8, 14:00

Piotr Smoczyński, RAMS Manager at Rail Baltic Estonia. “Ensuring Safety in Terms of Common Safety Method on Risk Assessment” [Session language: English]

Rail transport is one of the safest ways to travel, but it does not happen by itself. In the European Union, there are many legal acts regulating the issues of safety management. One of them is the Common Safety Method on Risk Assessment (EU Regulation 402/2013), which provides requirements for introducing changes into the railway system, including construction of new railway lines. The lecture will discuss the basic elements of risk management and briefly present some of the challenges that Rail Baltica faces in this regard.

 

June 6, 14:00

Konstantinos Tzanakakis, Operation and Maintenance Team Leader at RB Rail AS. [Session language: English]

The lecture begins with the ancient “track roads” dating back to 600 BC, followed by the emergence of modern railways in the early 19th century with the development of the first steam locomotive. We focus on high-speed trains that revolutionized transportation, including a brief overview of Maglev and Hyperloop technology. Additionally, the lecture offers a brief introduction to the railway history of the Baltic countries and concludes with a funny story about the Railway Track Gauge.

 

 

June 5, 15:00

Andis Linde, Stakeholders Manager at BERERIX and Toms Altbergs, Industrial Heritage Expert at SJSC “Latvijas dzelzceļš”  [Session language: English]

Did you know that the history of the Riga Railway Hub dates back to the 19th century and reconstruction works were planned multiple times in the 20th century? For example, in 1902 reconstruction plans, Riga Central Station was originally designed as a prototype of the prestigious Dresden Neustadt station. It’s fascinating to learn that cities like Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and other major European cities were evaluated for their railway stations and track layouts during the reconstruction of the Riga railway junction. And speaking of railway connections, you probably know that Rail Baltica will soon connect the Baltic States to the European standard (1435mm) gauge railway. But can you guess when the very first 1435mm railway was built in Latvia? Watch the lecture to find out the answers to these questions and much more!

 

 

May 24, 11:00

Ilze Lukstiņa, Project Coordinator at Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas [Session language: English]

Have you ever thought how convenient it would be to live in the countryside and be able to go everywhere comfortably even without a car? It sounds like a dream, but that dream is actually closer than you might think! Thoughtful reorganization of the public transport system and mobility points make public transport accessible to a wide range of residents. In the lecture “Rail Baltica Regional Stations in Latvia: Concept and Functionality”, we explained what mobility points are and why we need them, and how Rail Baltica’s regional stations in Latvia can serve as a catalyst for changes in regional mobility around them.

 

 

May 23, 14:00

Andy Billington, Innovation and Digital Architecture Team Leader at RB Rail AS [Session language: English] 

Before Rail Baltica, Andy Billington worked at Transport for London and for other UK rail projects, coming into the rail industry after working in the telecoms and IT for both services providers and enterprises. In his lecture, Andy offered an insight into the digitalization and innovation solutions applied in the Rail Baltica project.

 

 

May 22, 10:00

Dovilė Juškevičienė, Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS [Session language: English] 

Dovilė Juškevičienė has more than 10 years of experience in Environmental Impact Assessments and has developed expertise in EU and national construction and environmental legal acts working for various organizations as an Environmental Specialists and Project Manager. Dovilė Juškevičienė holds higher education degrees in Environmental Science and Ecology from both Vytautas Magnus University and Klaipėda University in Lithuania.

In her lecture, Dovilė Juškevičienė talked about the role of megaprojects like Rail Baltica in preventing climate change.

 

 


 

Rail Baltica is announcing the return of Rail Baltica Academy for its third year. This global knowledge-sharing platform continues to facilitate the exchange of ideas and expertise by offering a series of public digital lectures, ensuring that valuable insights from Rail Baltica experts reach a broad audience.

Rail Baltica Academy has become a hub for industry professionals, railway enthusiasts, students, and future users of Rail Baltica to gather and delve into the intricate details of one of Europe’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. The initiative has gained widespread recognition for its commitment to fostering dialogue, encouraging collaboration, and disseminating cutting-edge knowledge on various aspects of Rail Baltica.

In collaboration with Riga Technical University, Kaunas University of Applied Engineering Sciences, Vilnius University, TTK University of Applied Sciences in Estonia, Rail Baltica Academy’s spring session will offer ten concise online sessions providing an insight into the integrated approach of project management and engineering to deliver a modern and sustainable railway infrastructure.

During the series of lectures, in the Spring session presented by more than 10 experts from the Rail Baltica delivery organizations – Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS, the national implementing bodies in each of the Baltic States – LTG Infra (Lithuania), Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas (Latvia) and Rail Baltic Estonia (Estonia), and the project’s global partners, participants will have the opportunity to access inside knowledge about different angles of the Rail Baltica project.

The digital lectures will be accessible through Rail Baltica global project social media platforms. The lectures will be open to professionals, students, policymakers, and anyone with an interest in the future of transportation and infrastructure. Most of the lectures will be held in English with the possibility to ask questions directly to the expert.

The first online lecture (in English) will take place on Monday, May 22, at 10.00, and in it Dovilė Juškevičienė, Environmental Expert of RB Rail AS, will talk about the role of megaprojects like Rail Baltica in preventing climate change in the lecture The Role of Megaprojects in Tackling Climate Change: Rail Baltica Example.  

The second online lecture of the spring session (in English) will take place on Tuesday, May 23, at 14.00. RB Rail AS Innovation and Sustainability Expert Andy Billington will offer an insight into the digitalization and innovation solutions applied in the Rail Baltica project in the lecture Connected Europe, Connected Railways: How Rail Baltica is Leading the Way in Digitalization.

Spring session will include the following speakers and the agenda*:

  • Dovilė Juškevičienė, Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS. “The Role of Megaprojects in Tackling Climate Change: Rail Baltica example”
    22.05.2023 at 10.00
  • Andy Billington, Innovation and Digital Architecture Team Leader at RB Rail AS. “Connected Europe, Connected Railways: How Rail Baltica is Leading the Way in Digitalization”
    23.05.2023 at 14.00
  • Ilze Lukstiņa, Project Coordinator at Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas. “Rail Baltica Regional Stations in Latvia: Concept and Functionality”
    24.05.2023 at 11.00
  • Andis Linde, Stakeholders Manager at BERERIX and and Toms Altbergs, Industrial Heritage Expert at SJSC “Latvijas dzelzceļš”. “Tracing the Tracks of Riga Central Railway Station: A Journey Through Its Past and Present”
    5.06.2023 at 15.00
  • Konstantinos Tzanakakis, Operation and Maintenance Team Leader at RB Rail AS. “History of Railways: From the Ancient “Track Roads” to the High-Speed Trains, the Maglev and the Hyperloop Technology”
    6.06.2023 at 14.00
  • Piotr Smoczyński, RAMS Manager at Rail Baltic Estonia. “Ensuring Safety in Terms of Common Safety Method on Risk Assessment”
    8.06.2023 at 14.00
  • Arenijus Jackus, Head of Rail Baltica Coordination at LTG Infra. “Rail Baltica: Project Evolution in Brief” 
    12.06.2023 at 14.00
  • Ramiro Alberto Rios, Senior Urban Transport Consultant at the World Bank. “Gateway to the City: Maximizing the Potential of International Rail Stations”
    21.06.2023 at 15.30
  • Artūrs Caune, Chairman of the Board of the Road Transport Administration (Latvia). “Refined and Complex Art of Transport Scheduling”
    28.06.2023 at 15.00

Rail Baltica Academy Autumn session 2021

November 5, 14:00
Andrejs Mislēvičs, Signalling and Communications Team leader in RB Rail AS | Basics of Control-Command System [Session language: English]

Andrejs has studied Control and Safety systems at Wilhelm Büchner Hochschule in Darmstadt, Germany and holds a degree of Master of Science in Transport and Traffic Engineering at Riga Technical University. Some of the largest infrastructure projects Andrejs has worked on before joining the Rail Baltica:  High speed line Stuttgart-Ulm,  High-speed line Nuremberg-Erfurt-Halle/Leipzig-Berlin.  In this lecture “Basics of Control-Command System” Andrejs puts a focus on interlocking, signalling and train protection.

 

November 10, 15:00
LT: Rūta Blagnytė, Lead Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS | Building and operating environmentally sustainable rail: Rail Baltica [Session language: Lithuanian]

Rail Baltica line will help to reduce the environmental footprint of human mobility in the Baltic States. By using 100% renewable energy, the new high-speed line will promote modal shift from road to rail, help to slash road maintenance costs, reduce noise pollution, and congestion on roads. While future benefits of the Rail Baltica line is immense, implementation of the railway infrastructure in environmentally conscious way is equally important.

Join this session with Rūta Blagnytė, Lead Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS to learn about role Rail Baltica will play in making Baltics greener and the robust environmental measures, which are planned during the construction and operational phases of the project.

 

 


 

Rail Baltica Academy Summer session 2021

The “Rail Baltica Academy” summer session took place in June 2021 and offered an opportunity to students and the general public interested in railway engineering, construction, maintenance, environmental issues, innovation and other topics to gain direct access to the key Rail Baltica experts. In seven concise online sessions, students had a unique opportunity to get an insight into an integrated approach of project management and engineering to deliver a modern and sustainable railway infrastructure.  Sessions will be organized in English, Latvian, Lithuanian or Estonian (depending on a particular session) and is available publicly on the designated Facebook events and Rail Baltica Global Project webpage www.railbaltica.org. Sessions included the following speakers and the agenda:

June 3, 15:00 – 16:00

Einārs Jaunzems, Project implementation director at “Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas”   |  Rail Baltica international stations as mobility hubs: Rīga Central Station case study [Session language: Latvian]

Rail Baltica international passenger stations will not only serve the travellers of the new line, but also provide wider benefits such as convenient connection to the city transport, regional transport and airports. In addition, improved station functionality has a potential to revitalise public space, attract new investments in the nearby real estate, and create new demand for the service sector. In this session Einārs Jaunzems will showcase the potential of the first Rail Baltica international station in the construction phase – Rīga Central Station. 

 

June 4, 15:00 – 16:00

Ēriks Diļevs, Technical Director Latvia at RB Rail AS  |  From Tallinn to Vilnius: top 10 Rail Baltica Infrastructure objects [Session language: English]

Did you know that Rail Baltica project will build the longest bridge in the Baltics – the Neris bridge, construct the first railway tunnel, and bring about the first dual rail-road bridge? Join this session to learn more about the landmark engineering structures of the Rail Baltica line and explore what specific requirements will be met to ensure the safety and interoperability of the new high-speed line. 

 

June 9, 15:00 – 16:00

Rūta Blagnytė, Lead Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS  |  Building and operating environmentally sustainable rail: Rail Baltica [Session language: English]

Rail Baltica line will help to reduce the environmental footprint of human mobility in the Baltic States. By using 100% renewable energy, the new high-speed line will promote modal shift from road to rail, help to slash road maintenance costs, reduce noise pollution, and congestion on roads. While future benefits of the Rail Baltica line is immense, implementation of the railway infrastructure in environmentally conscious way is equally important. Join this session with Rūta Blagnytė, Lead Environmental Expert at RB Rail AS to learn about role Rail Baltica will play in making Baltics greener and the robust environmental measures, which are planned during the construction and operational phases of the project.

  

 

June 10, 15:00 – 16:00

Andy Billington, Innovation and Sustainability Expert at RB Rail AS  |  Rail Baltica – more than a railway project [Session language: English]

Rail Baltica as a project goes far beyond the construction of a railway so that companies can run trains. It is a greenfield project which gives plenty of opportunities for innovation, including the latest IT solutions. It will deliver multimodal solutions to make travelling seamless. It offers possibilities to accelerate 5G and broadband with fibre optical cable installations along the railway. This is not just a railway project, but also programme for an economic corridor, with innovation and digitalisation as key drivers. Join this session with Andy Billington, Innovation and Sustainability Expert in Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS. 

 

June 11, 15:00 – 16:00

Mantas Kaušylas, Head of Strategy and International Relations, Rail Baltica Coordination Department, LTG Infra – Increasing railway and airport interoperability [Session language: Lithuanian]

Mantas will present air-rail and air to rail initiatives in Lithuania, which will come with Rail Baltica project and benefit in travel time and CO2 reduction. In addition, he will present the biggest issues and challenges of the planning of the railway links to the Vilnius and Kaunas International airports.  Join this session to learn more about passenger and freight transportation by rail, railway engineering and territorial planning of the Rail Baltica and its specific requirements.

 

une 16, 15:00 – 16:00

Jovita Starynina, BIM and AIM Coordinator at RB Rail AS  |  BIM and standards [Session language: Lithuanian]

Rail Baltica will be the first infrastructure mega project implemented using BIM methodology in all 3 Baltic States. While some countries are preparing BIM requirements Lithuania already launched general document set of requirements for BIM implementation not only in design stage but starting from tender process till construction and maintenance stages. RB Rail is coordinating BIM processes and would like to share their knowledge, process and learned mistakes with future Lithuania infrastructure developers and managers. Join this session with PhD Jovita Starynina, BIM and AIM coordinator in Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS. 

 

 

June 17, 15:00 – 16:00

Urmas Alber, BIM and AIM Coordinator at RB Rail AS  |  BIM – Sharing is caring [Session language: English]

BIM has become an essential part of designing and construction. But why it is so important? How will it help to gather the information that can be later used for asset management? In the Rail Baltica Global project BIM is used through the whole process – making this project a unique example. Best practices on how and why BIM should be used will be by Urmas Alber, who is BIM & AIM Coordinator in Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS. 

 

In the first edition of Rail Baltica Academy, which took place in November 2020, over 280 students from 14 educational institutions from the Baltics, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, participated.