Rail Baltica linking Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (as well as Finland through a rail-ferry service)

Programme Other (EUSBSR projects related)

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

“Rail Baltica” is a strategic and sustainable rail project linking four new EU Member States of the EU - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - as well as Finland. In addition, it is the only rail connection between the three Baltic States themselves to Poland and the rest of the EU. To the north, Helsinki is connected by rail ferry services across the Gulf of Finland which can form a “bridge” to the countries of the Nordic Triangle (PP12). The length of the current track is approximately 1,200 km by the most direct existing route from Tallinn to Warsaw. A variety of track and operating systems are currently in use: single and double track, electrified and nonelectrified (of which single track non-electrified is the most common system). The line passes through a variety of different terrain - urban areas such as the cities of Białystok, Kaunas and Riga, and rural areas such as in the Podlaskie region of northeast Poland and southern Lithuania, as well as northern Latvia and the south of Estonia. “Rail Baltica” also connects three major Baltic seaports: Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga and has a short rail connection to a fourth - Klaipeda.

Achievements (EN):

The project started in 2005 from scratch and was originally about a step-by-step improvement of the existing alignment with 1520 mm gauge (common in Russia). The work on the track has continued over the last eight years. In Estonia the work finished at the end of 2011 while in Latvia progress has been made in improving and upgrading several sections. In Lithuania, implementation of the first European gauge sections (1435 mm) has started, and the aim is to bring this new line to Kaunas by 2015. Next steps in Rail Baltica implementation: - Negotiation on draft Intergovernmental Agreement on Rail Baltica implementation - Filing application for CEF funding - Invitation to Poland and Finland to join

Thematic information

Logistics and freight transport Improving transport connections Infrastructure

Partners (1)

Lead Partner: Rail Baltica task force

Address: LT-03603 Vilnius, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

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Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Rail Baltica linking Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (as well as Finland through a rail-ferry service)

Project acronym: Rail Baltica

Project start date: 2005-01-01

Project end date: 2020-12-31

Project status: closed

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

Other (EUSBSR projects related)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2019-05-28

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

163 / 0

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

191 / 0

Notes on the data

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