29.11.2019
At a development conference taking place in Pärnu today, a design contract for the RB Pärnu International Passenger Terminal was signed between Rail Baltic Estonia and the Pluss architectural firm.
"Rail Baltica Pärnu passenger terminal is one of two international RB terminals in Estonia. The station building under construction has solved the classic terminal usage needs such as waiting rooms, ticket office and catering. Pärnu has never seen such a modern travel infrastructure. Local train traffic is also of particular value, and now is the right time to start working on combining city and long-distance bus traffic. When Rail Baltica is completed, you can get from Pärnu to Tallinn in 40 minutes and Riga in an hour," noted the head of Rail Baltic Estonia Riga Bridge.
In 2014, the RB Pärnu International Terminal architectural competition was won by the Pluss OÜ architectural firm's work "Water Strider", authored by Indrek Allmann, Jaan Jagomägi, Gunnar Kurusk, Tanno Tammesson and Holden Vides. The jury highlighted the winning entry's impressive and unmistakably railway architecture-related exterior and its good functionality, which ensures passenger comfort even in bad weather conditions.
"The winning entry is very bold and unique, it stands out. The futuristic solution takes us ahead of time and confirms the message that Pärnu is a developing and forward-looking city - creating such an emotion was also one of the goals of the project," said the chairman of the jury, the mayor of Pärnu Romek Kosekranius, in 2014.
A member of the board of directors signed the design contract on behalf of the Pluss architectural firm. Katrin Wentzel: “The geographical location of Pärnu in the time space of Estonia will change radically after Rail Baltic. Pärnu will be connected to the center of Tallinn faster than a Tallinn suburb struggling with the morning rush hour. Pure joy that our water runner “Water Strider” will be Pärnu's gateway to the world!”
The terminal building is planned to be located above the platform and is connected by galleries. The terminal building is planned to include a waiting room with 90 seats, as well as a café, information points and other rooms with necessary functions. The design and construction cost of the Pärnu International Passenger Terminal is estimated at 20 million euros. The construction tender is expected to be announced in 2021 and construction work will begin in the spring of 2022.
Rail Baltica is an environmentally friendly and convenient railway connection that connects Estonia with its southern neighbors and Central Europe. The infrastructure being built will allow passengers to reach Pärnu from Tallinn in 40 minutes and Riga in 2 hours.
How did this story make you feel?
