Latvia is implementing another milestone of the Rail Baltica project and is starting the construction of a railway line. On 21 May, the Rail Baltica team, representatives of the European Commission and international partners from France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia met in Riga to symbolically fill the time capsule with messages for future generations. The capsule will be embedded in the construction site.
Construction approx. 220 km of railway line, 175 engineering structures and 11 animal crossings will be implemented by the E.R.B. Rail JV consortium, combining the experience of three leading European engineering and construction companies in the field of road, rail, steel and reinforced concrete structures. The consortium consists of Eiffage Génie Civil SAS (France), Budimex SA (Poland) and Rizzani.
The construction will be carried out in stages. First, construction works will be carried out in the vicinity of the town of Lekawa in the Bauska district.
Works on the Rail Baltica railway line near Riga will include a subgrade-embankment, road crossings and track surface, including tracks and related infrastructure. The estimated value of the FIDIC-based contract is EUR 3.7 billion. The exact costs of individual sections of works will be calculated after reviewing the construction designs. The contracting authorities Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiano Group will be responsible for the supervision of the contract, the implementation of the works and the budget, while the Ministry of Transport will be responsible for the supervision of the implementation .
ERB Rail will start construction of the first phase near Ekawa in the Bauska district, where the Rail Baltica infrastructure maintenance facility will be located. The total area of the maintenance center is about 16.5 hectares. The infrastructure maintenance points will serve as facilities during the construction of the Rail Baltica railway line, including the construction of connections to the existing railway network with a track gauge of 1520 mm, in order to maximise the use of the railway for the transport of construction materials and machinery.
Jaime Rontome Perez, E.R.B. Rail JV: The biggest challenge of this project will be to integrate various organizations, companies, suppliers, local subcontractors and cultures into one organism that pursues the goal of building Rail Baltica, with the highest safety standards, on time and with the highest quality. An example of cultural diversity within the project is the fact that currently between our team and the supervising engineer there are representatives of over 7 different nationalities, and there will probably be many more as the project develops. On the other hand, these differences will enrich the project with a variety of experiences and knowledge. Latvian Rail Baltica will be built by companies very experienced in railway projects. They have created such modern investments as the Western Railway Station in Poland, Line Bretagne – Pays de la Loire in France or Catania-Palermo in Italy. This guarantees success and responsible construction. However, it is also a big challenge for all our partners who are also present here. Always, in order to bring such a project to a successful conclusion, the investor and the contractors must be allies and understand each other’s needs.
Artur Popko, Budimex: As part of the ERB RAIL consortium, we will take part in the implementation of a strategic investment for our entire region. Our share in the consortium is 30 percent. We will be responsible for the construction of civil engineering facilities and tracks. However, we operate as part of an integrated entity, which means that we work “hand in hand” to achieve a common effect. At the stage of organizing the works, we were entrusted with the construction of one of the material warehouses in the city of Lekawa. That is why we have been present in Latvia for several months. Our team consisting of workers posted from Poland and employed locally is preparing to start work. The opportunity to implement the Rail Baltica project is an honour for us, but also a challenge, given the scope of the project. This is a breakthrough project, because it is the first of its kind in this part of Europe. We are a company with over 55 years of history. As part of the Budimex Group, we currently employ over 7 thousand. People. Our competences include construction, renewable energy, electromobility and the production of steel structures. The contract for the construction of Rail Baltica is not the first one that we are implementing outside of Poland. We carry out road and bridge investments m.in. in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany.
Andy Swift, Project Director of the E.R.B. Rail JV: We have specialist knowledge and extensive experience in the development of strategic facilities in Europe. We carry out work in many countries, in the highest world quality, according to budget and schedule. Given the scale of the project, it is obvious that local companies are involved in the main construction work. Another important aspect will be cooperation with Riga University of Technology in order to attract students who will have a unique opportunity to gain experience in a European railway infrastructure construction project. It is important to emphasise that this is a multi-year project, and therefore ERB Rail’s cooperation with local engineers and current and future students is essential for the success of the project.
Eiffage is a major player in construction and concessions in Europe, the company was involved in the construction of the Bretagne – Pays de la Loire high-speed line in France and is involved in the development of the UK’s High Speed 2 line connecting London with Birmingham.
Budimex is one of the leaders in railway construction in Poland. The company is currently implementing m.in. the new Western Railway Station in Warsaw, one of the largest investments of PKP PLK SA. As the General Contractor, it is also responsible for the construction of the Port of Gdynia railway junction, the railway station in Ełk and the railway station in Czechowice-Dziedzice.
Rizzani de Eccher is already working in Latvia on the construction of the Rail Baltica Riga Central Hub. The company specializes in the construction of engineering structures and can boast of experience in the construction of 4 million m2 of load-bearing structures, as well as the provision of engineering services and provision of specialized equipment for the construction of over 7 million m2 of load-bearing structures.
