The Rail Baltica2 line had not yet been approved but a special commission for the implementation of Rail Baltica project, which is chaired by Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, believes that it could run from Tallinn to Trieste or Venice, Italy, through Riga, Kaunas, Warsaw and Berlin, Transport Deputy Minister Arūnas Štaras said after the panel’s meeting on Friday.
The current Rail Baltica line is being designed for the speed of 120 kilometers per hour and is largely designated for cargo. Rail Baltica2 could be adapted to the speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour, the news portal alfa.lt reports.
The government reported on Friday that the project of Rail Baltica was being implemented as scheduled and three Baltic countries intended to establish a joint venture for the project by the end of the year.
“We are interested in active participation by the European Commission, the Baltic countries and Poland in coordination of development and implementation of Rail Baltica project,” the statement released by prime minister’s press service said.
Rail Baltica is one of strategic transport links in the Baltic countries. EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said in January that 85 percent of project implementation costs could be funded under the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.
Rail Baltica would link Poland to Finland via three Baltic countries. The total length of the railway in Lithuania is 335 kilometers and the total estimated value is about 1.9 billion litas (EUR 550 mln).
