On 15 May, representatives from Rail Baltica’s delivery organizations welcomed the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Marat Kabayev, along with a delegation of ministry officials and businessmen in Riga. The Kazakh representatives discussed both the progress of Rail Baltica’s implementation and the new transportation route perspectives. As an important partner of Latvia in international transportation, Kazakhstan is exploring alternative freight transportation corridors offered by the Rail Baltica project. The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Latvia, Mr Dauren Karipov, also participated in the meeting.
During the visit, Kristīne Malnača, Head of the Global Project Strategy and Economics Department at RB Rail AS, discussed the benefits and progress of the Rail Baltica project. The project’s status in Latvia was presented by Ēriks Diļevs, Chairman of the Board of Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas, and Anita Rūdule-Jansone, Project Manager of the Riga Central Station, Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas, who detailed the construction progress of the Rail Baltica Riga Central Node.
The meeting featured active discussions, with the Kazakh delegation showing significant interest in Rail Baltica’s financing methods, project timelines, and implementation challenges. They also discussed the potential for cargo transportation along the new railway in Latvia. Project promoters emphasized that the Rail Baltica infrastructure will create a new transport, military, and economic corridor, placing the Baltic states firmly on the European logistics map. This will enable cargo owners and carriers to streamline and diversify their supply chains with direct, uninterrupted, high-capacity access to the European rail system, opening new opportunities for multimodal cargo logistics development in the Baltic States. Kazakhstan remains a strategically important partner for Latvia’s transport industry, promoting international transport between the European Union, North America, and Central Asia.
The Kazakh delegation had the opportunity to assess the construction progress at the Rail Baltica Central Node construction site.
The guests also expressed interest in the use of FIDIC contracts in construction and discussed the major challenges faced during the project’s construction.
