Representatives of the Rail Baltica project reported on May 22 that construction of the high-speed rail project’s mainline had begun on the previous day.

The joint venture ERB Rail JV, commissioned by the Rail Baltica national implementing body in Latvia – Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas – will oversee the construction of approximately 230 km of the mainline railway. This includes 175 engineering structures, 11 animal crossings, 42 viaducts, 81 road bridges, and 32 rail bridges.

This international consortium, registered in Latvia, is composed of three of Europe’s leading engineering and construction companies specializing in road, railway, steel structures, and major concrete works: Eiffage Génie Civil SAS (France), Budimex S.A. (Poland), and Rizzani de Eccher S.p.A. (Italy).

The construction will proceed in sections, beginning with the first set of works in the Bauska region in southern Latvia near Iecava, where the future Rail Baltica infrastructure maintenance facility will be located. The maintenance center will cover an area of approximately 16.5 hectares and serve as a logistic base during the construction of the Rail Baltica mainline.

This year 150 km of the Rail Baltica mainline is expected to be under construction – across all three Baltic states – the total length of the project is 870 km.

Rail Baltica will be a fully electrified, double-track railway with a standard gauge of 1435 mm and will be equipped with ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) and designed to meet European standards. With a 249 km/h design speed, Rail Baltica will significantly reduce travel times between the Baltic States and major European cities.

Originally slated to be completed by 2026 for 5.8 billion euros, it now has a tentative launch date of 2030 and the current estimate for the total cost of Rail Baltica is 7.8 billion euros – though given current trends it would not be surprising if this figure is revised upwards again in the future. The project has also seen a high turnover of senior executives.