The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia remain confident that Rail Baltica – the multibillion-euro, European-gauge railway linking the Baltic states with the rest of the EU – will be completed on schedule, and they vowed to secure the highest possible level of European funding for the project.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said she expects construction to proceed on time and to meet quality standards.
“This is very important for us as Lithuania, because we have two very important directions, Poland and the North,” Ruginienė said during a joint news conference in Riga on Friday. “These two directions will ensure even greater security and economic attractiveness for us.”
Latvia has faced slower progress than Lithuania or Estonia. Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said Rail Baltica remains a top priority in Riga and that her government is working to cut costs.
“I am not entirely satisfied with the prices that have been proposed, so additional funds have been allocated in the budget for us to redesign and reduce costs, because I think the price is also important,” Siliņa said. She added that Latvia is in talks with builders and the national grid operator and that Latvian Railways will take on part of the construction work.
Latvia is also considering continuing portions of the project through a public-private partnership, she said. Claims that Latvia might abandon the northern section toward Estonia are unfounded, she added.
“We really need this connection – not only so that our residents can travel to each other’s countries, but also because it is important for us to maintain the connection with Finland, where we have many partners, and for NATO and security matters,” Siliņa said.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal reiterated that the railway must be completed by 2030.
“Our entire route in Estonia is under construction on a 155-kilometre section, and a third of the route is already being built,” Michal said. “Latvia is also actively planning how to build the route to Estonia. As Estonia will chair Baltic and Nordic cooperation next year, Rail Baltica is one of our most important projects.”
He said the project will bolster both national defence and economic development.
Lithuania has so far secured about €1.6 billion for Rail Baltica. Up to 85% of the project is financed by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility, with the remainder coming from Lithuania’s state budget.
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