The largest tender for the 870km Rail Baltica scheme linking Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has been launched by Latvia’s Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas, the company delivering Rail Baltica in the country.
Latvia’s Rail Baltica will run 260km from the borders with Lithuania and Estonia. The winner, which will have “early contractor involvement”, will build 200km of substructure and superstructure works, including embankments, bridges, roads and overpasses.
The tender is due to be awarded in 2022, meaning construction can begin in 2023.
Henrik Hololei, the European Commission’s director-general for mobility and transport, said: "This announcement is good news for Rail Baltica and the North Sea Baltic corridor. The mainline is a key missing link on the corridor and it is essential to bring the Baltic region – from Kaunas, to Tallinn and beyond – closer and better connect it to central Europe."
Kaspars Vingris, Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas’ chairman, said: “This tender will be the largest for the construction of the mainline in Latvia.
“Early contractor involvement is an internationally accredited practice that allows the consolidation of responsibility for project execution while ensuring adaptive construction processes: construction will be carried out in line with the maturity of the phases of the project allowing more efficient use of financial resources and construction materials.”
In 2020, it was reported that Rail Baltica is due to be €2bn over budget and four years behind schedule.
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