Baltic States PMs sign agreement on Rail Baltica
VILNIUS/TALLINN. Jan 31 (Interfax) - The prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia signed an agreement in Tallinn on Tuesday to develop the standard-gauge Rail Baltica rail line, spokesman for the Lithuanian prime minister, Tomas Berzinskas, told the BNS.
The rail line is to be completed by 2026, according to the agreement, which includes the timetable for construction, the route and a host of technical details. The agreement also addresses ownership of the future rail line's infrastructure and the land on which it is built, as well as the project's financing terms.
The document must be ratified by the parliaments in the three countries.
The agreement incorporates previous understandings contained in joint declarations and announcements by the prime ministers and transport ministers of the three Baltic States, as well as the provisions of agreements on financing for Rail Baltica concluded between RB Rail AS (a joint venture formed by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to carry out the project), the three Baltic States themselves and the European Commission.
The new rail line's gauge will be the European standard: 1,435 mm. Speeds on the new rail line will reach 240 kilometers per hour for passenger trains and 120 kph for freight trains.
The project is provisionally expected to cost 5 billion euro. The EU is prepared to finance up to 85% of the project cost in the 2014-2020 period.
The project to create the rail line, which will link Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas, Warsaw and Berlin, is the biggest infrastructure project in the Baltic States. Poland is also expected to participate in the project, as well as Finland (for linking Rail Baltica with Helsinki).