Rail Baltic to begin development of energy subsystem

TALLINN - Rail Baltic is to start the development of the energy subsystem, aiming for 100 percent use of renewable energy.

The Rail Baltic joint venture RB Rail AS has selected engineering service provider ENE Engineer for the Global project energy subsystem deployment, the company said.

The association of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH; IDOM Consulting, Engineering, Architecture, S.A.U.; Italferr S.p.A. was announced as the winner in an international tender, organized by RB Rail AS. The value of the awarded contract, signed on April 23, is 23.2 million euros.  

"This is an important milestone for the Rail Baltic Global project," Marc-Philippe El Beze, chief technical officer at RB Rail AS, said in a press release. "By signing the contract, we are starting the work on one of the most challenging railway electrification projects in Europe."

"With standard high-speed rail electrification projects ranging at about 300 kilometers, Rail Baltic with its 870-kilometer-long line is unique. The deployment of the energy subsystem for the entire Rail Baltic Global line in a consolidated way will allow to fully ensure safety and interoperability requirements as well as maximize the benefits of economies of scale," he said.

ENE Engineer will start the work by performing several technical and economic studies necessary to prepare for the procurement of the electrification design and build tender.

Further, during the implementation phase, ENE Engineer will be acting as FIDIC Engineer covering the design and construction supervision, testing and commissioning duties, till the end of defect notification period.

Energy subsystem scope to be deployed for the entire Rail Baltic Global project covers the following key components -- high voltage feeding lines for connection of traction power substations to the public high voltage electrical grids, traction power substations, overhead contact system, and energy control command system.

RB Rail AS is a joint Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian company established in order to coordinate the implementation of the Rail Baltic project -- construction of the infrastructure required for a high-speed rail line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border. It is the central coordinator of the Rail Baltic project. Its areas of operation are the design, construction and marketing of the rail line.