Rail Baltic Estonia secures largest main line contract to date

TALLINN - Rail Baltic Estonia signed its largest financial contract to date for the main Rail Baltic railway in Estonia on Tuesday.

The contract, worth approximately 87.8 million euros, was awarded to a joint bid from OÜ Verston and OÜ Järelpinge Inseneribüroo. They will construct a 17.2-kilometer section of the main Rail Baltic line in Rapla County, between the towns of Rapla and Kehtna.

Rail Baltic Estonia CEO Anvar Salomets noted that with this agreement, contracts have been signed for a quarter of the planned main route in Estonia, and it is also the longest section under a contract so far. He expressed confidence that further contracts will be finalized soon.

Verston CEO Veiko Veskimäe, said that Rail Baltic is currently one of the most important projects for Estonia. It not only provides a new connection to Europe but also brings a significant portion of investment back into the country through taxes and stimulates the economy.

The construction of the fourth stage of the Rail Baltic main line in Rapla County, from Alu to Kärpla, involves the largest volume of earthworks for the railway embankment. It includes the construction of five major crossings -- the Vigala River railway bridge, Kuusiku ecoduct, Rõue River railway bridge, Raela ecoduct, and Aasu viaduct.

The contract also includes the construction of the Rapla railway station and platforms.

The 17.2-kilometer section will involve a large amount of earthworks, with nearly two million cubic meters of soil to be moved, 78 concrete pipes to be installed, and approximately 2.7 kilometers of noise barriers to be erected.

Previous construction work on this main line section has included the Põlma viaduct, with the Parila viaduct, Parila bridge, and Juula viaduct currently under construction.

The contract period is 48 months, with the section expected to be completed by September 2028. The contractual construction cost is 87.8 million euros plus VAT.

With this newly signed contract, 55 kilometers of the Rail Baltic main line in Estonia are either covered by contracts or under construction. This year alone, six contracts for the main line construction have been signed, totaling 320 million euros.

The construction contract is financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Estonian state budget.

Rail Baltic is an environmentally friendly and convenient rail connection linking Estonia with its southern neighbors and Central Europe. The infrastructure will enable travel from Tallinn to Pärnu in 40 minutes and to Riga in 1 hour and 42 minutes. Regional trains will also run on the Rail Baltic railway. Rail Baltic Estonia is the developer of the Rail Baltic railway in Estonia and will manage the infrastructure in the future.