Rail Baltic Estonia chief: few years' delay will barely affect freight
Rail Baltic Estonia CEO Anvar Salomets says a delay of a few years to Rail Baltica will make little difference to freight operators. Estonia's section is now expected to be finished and operational by the end of 2034.
A delay of a few years in completing Rail Baltica, the new European-gauge railway line meant to link the Baltic states to the European rail network, will matter little to freight operators, according to Anvar Salomets, CEO of Rail Baltic Estonia, the company delivering the project in Estonia. The Estonian government has dropped its goal of finishing the Estonian section by 2030; completion and operation are now targeted for the end of 2034.
Reasons for the delay and costs
Salomets cited several causes, but said the main ones were poor management and unrealistic expectations set before the necessary capabilities existed. The scope of the project has also changed, and price rises after various crises pushed costs up by tens of percent over three to four years in Estonia.
The project's estimated cost in Estonia was initially €1 billion and has now reached €3.5 billion. Salomets said this reflects current prices and excludes future inflation.
Timeline and passengers
The project's owners require the railway not only to be built by the end of 2034 but also fully commissioned and running. The line itself will be finished earlier, followed by testing and commissioning. The Tallinn–Pärnu section is expected to open first, and passengers could travel to Pärnu by the end of 2032 if financing is available. The aim is for a train to leave for Berlin by the end of 2034.
Freight and running costs
Salomets noted that Rail Baltica forms part of the wider European rail network used for freight. In the long term, he said, the difference between 2030 and 2032 does not matter much. Goods are currently moved by road, and the railway is expected to gain a competitive edge, shifting some volumes from highways to rail. New infrastructure will also generate new freight traffic.
Rail Baltic Estonia's cost-benefit analysis puts annual maintenance and operating costs of the Estonian section at €30–50 million, depending largely on the timing of major maintenance. Ideally, revenue should cover operating costs by the end of the first decade.
The government has said extending construction by five years would reduce the cost to Estonian taxpayers. The financing plan relies on the EU budget period of 2028–2034: maximizing EU funding for Estonia in that window would reduce the need for national co-financing.
