News

Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University (IIRPS) and RB Rail AS (main coordinator of the Rail Baltica Global Project) are organizing the debate on the Baltic co-operation and Rail Baltica. Together with academics and experts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania we want to identify enablers and blockers in the current cooperation between the states.

In February 2018, the joint venture coordinating the Rail Baltica Global Project RB Rail AS, and the French consultancy firm Egis Rail SA, signed an agreement to carry out the study to improve connectivity between Old City Harbour in Tallinn and the planned Rail Baltica Ülemiste passenger terminal. The aim of the study was to develop the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) in the North Sea-Baltic corridor and was co-financed under the Rail Baltica project by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Vilnius / Lithuania – Today Supervisory Board of RB Rail AS appointed Timo Riihimäki as Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board of the Rail Baltica Joint Venture. He will start his duties from 11 March 2019 and will be based in Riga.

The joint venture of the three Baltic states RB Rail AS has commenced the Study for the Development of the Rail Baltica Energy Subsystem Procurement and Deployment Strategy. The contract for the delivery of the Study was signed in January 2019 with the Consortium INECO – ARDANUY, consisting of Ingenería y Economía del Transporte S.M.E. M.P., S.A (INECO) and ARDANUY Ingenería, S.A (ARDANUY). Both Consortium partners have proven experience in the railway sector and specifically in energy subsystem.

On 1 February 2019 the Government of Finland decided to establish a limited liability company Oy Suomen Rata AB. Its subsidiary, the Rail Baltica company, is expected to become a shareholder of RB Rail AS, the joint venture of the Rail Baltica project.

In 2018 Rail Baltica Global Project reached several key milestones at strategic, technical and financial level remaining on track to launch operations by 2026.

The pan-Baltic press conference will start on 23 January at 12:00, in Tallinn, with option to join and ask questions online. Please go here to follow the event though live-stream.

On 10 January 2019, the Supervisory Board of RB Rail AS elected Karolis Sankovski as its Chairperson and Riia Sillave and Edvīns Bērziņš as Vice-Chairpersons. According to the Shareholders’ Agreement and the Statutes the Supervisory Board, the Chairperson and two Vice-Chairpersons are elected on an annual rotation basis.

The RB Rail AS employee recruitment plan indicates hiring more than 30 new specialists in 2019. It is planned that the number of employees working in the joint venture will continue to increase also in 2020.

RB Rail AS has launched the second stage of the procurement for design and design supervision services for the Rail Baltica line section Ramygala–Lithuanian/Latvian border in Lithuania.

The Rail Baltica joint venture has announced the second stage in the procurement of the design and design supervision services for the section Vangaži–Salaspils–Misa in Latvia and Tallinn–Rapla in Estonia.

The current status is highlighted by Ignas Degutis, acting Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board, and Kaspars Briškens, Business Development manager of the European gauge railway (1435 mm) infrastructure project Rail Baltica Central coordinator AS RB Rail, in a conversation with Dienas Bizness. // Source: Dienas Bizness

On November 27, 2018, the Rail Baltica Joint Venture announced the procurement for design and design supervision services for the Rail Baltica railway line in Estonia from Pärnu to the Estonian-Latvian border. This marks the beginning of the design procurement for the final section in Estonia.

RB Rail AS has carried out two desk studies on the supply of mineral materials for the construction of the Rail Baltica railway line in Latvia and Lithuania. Both studies were carried out by SIA Geo Consultants in cooperation with UAB Geobaltic and was completed in August 2018. In Estonia similar study was done by AS Teede Tehnokeskus in 2017 on behalf of Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ.

The annual meeting between the Rail Baltica Joint Venture and the Lithuanian Railways took place on 20 November in Vilnius. The RB Rail team, headed by Ignas Degutis, acting CEO and Chairperson of the Management Board talked presented current priorities, such as detailed technical design of the railway line, efforts to achieve sustainable Rail Baltica financing, cooperation with Finland and Poland as well as progress with the key strategic studies – operational plan and infrastructure management plan.