LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS SATIKSMES MINISTRIJA · Rail Baltic a status quo in Latvia I’m not going to tell about: the history of the issue and the previous activities – as it is already

Rail BalticRail Balticaastatus quo status quo in Latviain Latvia

INFORMATION SHARING EVENTINFORMATION SHARING EVENT

ON CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS OF RAIL BALTICA PROJECT ON CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS OF RAIL BALTICA PROJECT

Organized by Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee and European AffaiOrganized by Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee and European Affairs rs

Committee in cooperation with the Estonian Embassy in Lithuania Committee in cooperation with the Estonian Embassy in Lithuania and and

Estonian Chamber of CommerceEstonian Chamber of Commerce

onon

66thth December 201December 20133

LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS SATIKSMES MINISTRIJA

Rail BalticRail Balticaastatus quo status quo in Latviain Latvia

� I’m not going to tell about:

� the history of the issue and the previous activities – as it is already

covered

� in details about ongoing cooperation

� Which name is more correct: «Rail Baltica» or «Rail Baltic»

� Ongoing upgrade of the existing line, which we call «Rail Baltica I»

� But I want to draw your attention to the following issues concerning

new 1435 mm gauge line, which we call «Rail Baltica II»:

� current activities with Rail Baltica Joint Venture establishment

� further detailed technical study and better connection of the new line to

Riga

� our position on certain issues


Brief reminder of AECOM Study Conclusions•Standard (1435 mm) track gauge

•Conventional mixed traffic line

• Overall length 728 km

• Design speed 240 kph

• Maximum axle load 25 tonnes

• Double track for entire length

• Fully electrified

• Standard gauge with few dual-gauge sections

• Infrastructure cost per km ca 3 million €

• Total track-related costs ca 2,4 billion €

• Total Capital Costs ca 3,5 billion €

•Average annual maintenance cost ca 11,8 million €

•Access charges:

- Passenger services € 3.95 per train km

- Freight services € 5.92 per train km

Main design and construction activities

to be carried out in 2015-2024


Joint Venture establishment

The Rail Baltic Task Force still works on the establishment of

the Rail Baltic Joint Venture as mandated by the ministers



Prime Ministers:

-endorsed the Joint Declaration of the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Finland, the Minister

of Economic Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Estonia, the Minister of Transport of the

Republic of Latvia, the Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, the

Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy of the Republic of Poland on the

Establishment of the Rail Baltica/Rail Baltic Joint Venture and on the Enhanced Cooperation in the

Rail Baltica/Rail Baltic Project, which is a Conventional High-Speed Railway in the Baltic States,

adopted on September 16th, 2013 in Vilnius;

-in particular, welcomed their decision to establish the Joint Venture with the headquarters in Riga

and the opportunity for the Republic of Finland and Republic of Poland to join in the future as

shareholders and take part in the management of the company under equal terms as decided in the

above mentioned declaration;

-agreed to start the discussions on an intergovernmental agreement to stipulate the responsibilities of

participating states with regard to the Joint Venture and the development of the Rail Baltica/Rail

Baltic Project and invited the ministers of transportation to present basic elements of a working draft

of such an agreement by the next informal meeting of the Baltic Council of Ministers ;


Joint Venture establishmentPrime Ministers:

-welcomed the new EU TEN-T policy and establishment of North Sea – Baltic Corridor as a part of the

new European Core Network where the Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica is one of the flagship projects;

-stressed the importance of setting common strategic objectives for the railway infrastructure

development along the North Sea – Baltic Corridor in terms of achieving maximum interoperability

and high average speed for passenger and cargo traffic, achieved by implementing the Rail Baltic/Rail

Baltica Project in the territories of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (fast conventional double track 1435

mm gauge electrified railway line with the maximum design speed of 240 km/h connecting the Baltic

States to Poland);

-agreed, in prioritizing the Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica Project, that the ministries of transport shall ensure

the preparation of a relevant joint application to finance the Rail Baltic/Rail Baltica Project for

submission by the Joint Venture for the first call of applications to the Connecting Europe

Facility (CEF) to be opened in 2014;

-agreed that the Baltic States will seek the CEF funding in the order of 85% for the Rail Baltic/Rail

Baltica Project in multiannual financial framework 2014 – 2020 and stressed the importance of

maintaining the same level of EU co-financing rate (outside the national cohesion envelopes) in the

next multiannual financial framework beyond 2020.




�Some points to be agreed:

�is Joint Venture an infrastructure manager?

�Kaunas-LT/PL border-Bialystok section

�Vilnius connection

Is Joint Venture an infrastructure manager?


�Why it can be:

�Management ≠ ownership

�Rail Baltica - on different standards based

infrastructure, functionally separated from

the existing networks

�No functional changes on borders

�Relatively small infrastructure



�What are the advantages:

� Effective planning and operation

� Efficient maintenace

� Friendly access for customers

�Some other points:

� Unlike freight corridor approach, here is no need for

functional coordination with a network

� No needs to establish number of functional interfaces

between IMs

� Possible dual gauge sections to be managed by the

existing IMs



�What would we have instead of single IM, introducing corridor approach with several IMs

�This is not necessary until we have not national 1435 mm networks (busier than RB line)

Kaunas-LT/PL border-Bialystok section


�AECOM study included this part with the relevant

performance figures in their analysis

�Line currently being built in LT is a bottleneck (speed &

capacity) for the future line (estimation of +36 min on Kaunas-

LT/PL border section)

�Problems on the PL side

�To be solved now, even bottleneck in PL remains – as

shorter it is, as better is performance

�OR: to be solved as Kaunas-Bialystok section in the

period after 2020?


�Such connection is welcomed and probably will bring

benefits for the overall performance of the line (in case of a

new 1435 mm line)

�Was not discussed before as integral part of project (and

was not mentioned in declarations until late 2013)

�Should not impact already agreed activities until 2020 (it is important to understand the actual availability of Cohesion Funds after

the commitments made up to the end of 2016)

�Feasibility study required! (without study on its impact on the

project in general (including economic performance, co-financing rate and

availability, etc.) it cannot be said whether it is feasible to realize it under

ongoing activities or it should be solved separately or on a later stage)

�To be solved in the period after 2020?

Vilnius connection

SCOPE OF FURTHER STUDY IN LATVIA:(procurement started on 30th january 2013)

� TASK 1: STUDY OF CONNECTIONS TO RIGA CITY CENTRE, AIRPORT AND

RIGA FREEPORT

� TASK 2: SPATIAL PLANNING AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH

� TASK 3: STUDY OF TECHNICAL PARAMETERS

� TASK 4: DETAILED STUDY OF ALIGNMENT OPTIONS

� TASK 5: DETAILED TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

� TASK 6: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

� TASK 7: COST – BENEFIT ANALYSIS

� TASK 8: PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

� TASK 9: PREPARATION OF TOR FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PHASES

� TASK 10: CONSULTATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNICATION

The signing of the contract for the detailed technical study in

Latvia is delayed due to appeals


Entry of the Rail Baltica II in Riga

� AECOM study provided do-

minimum option with the

connection using existing rail

network

� Another study already performed

for the existing rail network

shows, that airport connection is

viable

� Meanwhile Riga City Council is

drawing tram on its map


Result of AECOM study (do minimum for Riga connection – not enough)

Entry of the Rail Baltica II in Riga

� The results of study for the broad

gauge connection shows the

viability of the airport link

� Connecting to the region`s major

airports is essential for the Rail

Baltica in order to achieve TEN-T

priorities

� Connecting to the airports will

improve travellers mobility in the

Baltic States and create new

opportunities in other countries

transit passenger services

� Riga airport will be reached from

Tallinn, Pärnu, Kaunas or

Panevežys in no more than 2

hours


Better connection of Riga to the Rail Baltica II

Goals:

� connection to the city

passenger rail terminal

� connection with Riga

International Airport

� connection with port

terminals on the right and

on the left bank of

Daugava river

� new river crossing

� cost-benefit analysis –

effects of the Rail Baltica II

� road and broad gauge Riga

bypasses

� multi modal bridge Options for further investigation


Better connection of Riga to the Rail Baltica II

Problems:

�Lack of available land

in Riga

�Necessity to have

dual gauge solutions

�Potential bottlenecks

�Expensive solutions


Pre-estimation on freight port connections using dual gauge solutions(done by the railway engineering students in their master thesis)

� It is possible to lay

additional 1435 mm track in

Zemitāni station

� Queueing theory based

analysis shows possibility

to combine traffic on dual

gauge sections


Pre-estimation on passenger airport connection using dual gauge solutions(done by the railway engineering students in their master thesis)

� It is possible to have specialised

tracks at Torņakalns and Zasulauks

stations

� Additionally at least single track

bridge is required over the Daugava

river

� Īt is difficult to lay an addional 1435

mm track on section Torņakalns-

Zasulauks

� Dual gauge operations on the

abovementioned section result in the

lack of capacity


Torņakalns

Zasulauks

Thank You for attention!Thank You for attention!

Ph. D. ing.

Janis Eiduks (Mr.)

director of the Railway Department,

Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia

phone: (+371) 67028192

mob. phone: (+371) 29531703

fax: (+371) 67028307

e-mail: [email protected]


Documents

LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS SATIKSMES MINISTRIJA · Rail Baltic a status quo in Latvia I’m not going to tell about: the history of the issue and the previous activities – as it is already