Latvia signs €264 million deal for railway to Riga Airport — LSM English

In Latvia, Latvijas dzelzceļš has signed an agreement with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency on implementing an EU-funded project for a new rail connection between Riga Airport and the capital’s Central Station. Total funding amounts to €264.18 million, LSM English reports.

The agreement was signed on August 27. Latvijas dzelzceļš plans to complete the work envisaged by the project together with Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas by December 31, 2029. EDzL is Latvia’s share of the RB Rail consortium, which includes all three Baltic states for the construction of the Rail Baltica high-speed railway.

Route via Imanta

The project provides for the construction of a new 1,520 mm gauge rail branch from the Rail Baltica station at Riga Airport to the nearby Imanta station. Modernization of the existing railway is also planned on the Imanta—Riga Central Station and Riga Central Station—Ogre sections.

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Passenger infrastructure is to be set up near the new Rail Baltica station at the airport, and train operations are to be ensured. A shuttle train will run between the airport and central Riga.

Funding and track gauge

The shuttle will use the existing 1,520 mm gauge network rather than the 1,435 mm European-standard track being built for the main Rail Baltica line. Under current plans, passengers from Estonia and Lithuania will have to transfer to reach the airport.

Of the total amount, €224,550,286 will come from the EU Cohesion Fund, while another €39,626,522 will be financed by Latvia’s state budget. The project also aims to modernize the electrified network, expand the electrification area, improve traffic safety and enhance the quality of passenger transportation. It is also intended to contribute to the development of defense infrastructure and military mobility on the section from the airport through Riga Central Station to Ogre.