Design Works on Rail Baltica Latvia Section to Commence

The design works for the entire main line section of Rail Baltica in Latvia will start shortly.

RB Rail AS has signed two contracts for the design and the design supervision services for the remaining sections of the Rail Baltica main line in Latvia. The two winners were both chosen because they made the best economically advantageous proposals. Their proposed prices are within the budget set aside for these activities.

Rail Baltica project status for Latvia 2020
Rail Baltica project status for Latvia 2020

RB Rail AS awarded the first contract to the consortium INECO-ARDANUY. It is worth 13.5 million euros (14.7 million USD) and is for the section from Vangaži to Latvia’s border with Estonia.

The second contract has gone to the IDOM, Consulting, Engineering, Architecture S.A.U. consortium. It is worth 6.9 million euros (7.5 million USD) and is for the section from Misa to Latvia’s border with Lithuania.

Tālis Linkaits, Minister of Transport for the Republic of Latvia, said:

“I am pleased that the implementation of the Rail Baltica project is continuing during this difficult period. It is important to increase the design speed so that construction works can be started in Latvia as soon as possible. The active construction phase of Rail Baltica, which will begin at Riga Central Station this autumn, will be one of the factors contributing to Latvia’s economic development and will help to recover from the effects of Covid-19. The start of construction work in Latvia will create new jobs and make a significant contribution to the development of construction-related industries.

“I encourage all companies to actively follow the development of Rail Baltica and participate in future procurements, as the project is progressing regardless of the Covid-19 situation in Europe. The project implementers are working online, and the work is proceeding according to plan.”

Vangaži-Estonia Section

The section between Vangaži and the Latvian border with Estonia will be the longest design section in Latvia. It measures 94km. The design works will take 2.5 years.

Preliminary designs from 2014–16 state that this section will include 13 bridges, 36 road viaducts, 3 railway viaducts, 119 culverts and 3 animal crossings.

Misa-Lithuania Section

The section between Misa and the Latvian border with Lithuania is 45km. The design works for this section are scheduled to take 2 years. The preliminary designs envisage 4 bridges, 16 road viaducts, 4 railway viaducts, 54 culverts and 1 animal crossing to be needed.

Agnis Driksna, Chairperson of the Management Board of RB Rail AS, said:

“Today we are very pleased to present yet another evidence of progress in the Rail Baltica Project implementation. With the signing of the two contracts, design activities are ongoing for the entire Rail Baltica line in Latvia as well as in the two passenger terminals in Riga Central Station and the airport. Meaning that a total of 643 km of the Rail Baltica main line are being designed in all three Baltic States.”

Selected contractors will perform site investigations, value engineering, develop the master design and detailed technical design for the construction of the railway track and provide supervision throughout the construction period.

85 percent of the funding for these Rail Baltica design works is coming from the European Union. 15 percent is made available by the government of Latvia.

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