New construction contracts signed for the Rail Baltica mainline in Estonia

Rail Baltic Estonia signed new construction contracts today for the mainline of the railway in Rapla County. Verston OÜ and Järelpinge Inseneribüroo OÜ, who submitted a joint bid, will begin the construction of the Rail Baltica mainline section in the municipalities of Kohila and Rapla. The total value of the two contracts amounts to 107 million euros.

The construction works for the first phase of the railway infrastructure in Rapla County will commence at the border of Harju and Rapla counties and conclude in Loone village in Kohila municipality, covering a total length of 9.4 kilometers. The average width of the mainline embankment is 15 meters. In addition to the mainline embankment, seven major structures will be built under the contract (1 eco-duct, 5 road viaducts, and 1 pedestrian tunnel). The construction of the mainline embankment will also prepare for the establishment of the Rail Baltica Kohila local station.

The necessary land clearance works for the construction of the mainline railway have been largely completed on this section, with only the works related to the construction of the Kohila traffic node remaining. In collaboration with the Land Board, approximately 95% of the required lands have been acquired in this section, with mainly the parcels necessary for the construction of the Kohila traffic node yet to be acquired. The contractual cost of the construction works is approximately 60 million euros.

During the second phase of the construction of the railway infrastructure in Rapla County, a 7.1 km railway embankment will be built, along with necessary drainage, land improvement systems, two eco-ducts, one road viaduct, and two railway viaducts, as well as nearly 5 km of noise barriers. The second phase of construction works also includes a unique 224-meter-long railway bridge in Estonia.

In the Loone-Hagudi section, the future Rail Baltica railway line intersects with the existing Edelaraudtee corridor. The construction of the Pureva railway viaduct will divert the Edelaraudtee over the Rail Baltica track. In total, six major structures (including Edelaraudtee facilities) will be built in this section: the Keila River railway bridge with a length of 224 meters; the Mälivere road viaduct with a length of 111.76 meters; the Pureva railway viaduct with a length of 107.03 meters (Edelaraudtee); the Tamme railway viaduct with a length of 16.40 meters; the Röa eco-duct with a length of 115.45 meters (on the RB railway infrastructure); the Röa eco-duct with a length of 113.50 meters (Edelaraudtee).

Additionally, approximately 10 kilometers of various maintenance and access roads will be constructed. The construction contracts are financed up to 85% by the Connecting Europe Facility, and the construction works, which will commence this summer, are expected to be completed by the autumn of 2027 according to the contract terms.