09.09.2022
Consumer Protection and Technical Surveillance Authority recognized the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the section of Rail Baltica from the Harju-Rapla county border to Hagud as compliant.
The environmental impact of all main route sections of Rail Baltica will be additionally assessed during the preparation of the main project, the initiation of which was requested by the local branch of RB Rail AS on its own initiative at the beginning of 2019. Now, as a result of a little more than three years of work, the following environmental impact assessment report has been completed, which is the second in a row. The first, the EIA report for the Ülemiste-Kangru section of Rail Baltica, was declared compliant at the end of July. A total of eight environmental impact assessment reports will be prepared for the entire Estonian section of Rail Baltica.
The route section, which extends from the border of Harju and Rapla counties to Hagudi, is 16,6 kilometers long and the route passes through predominantly sparsely populated areas, with farmland and forests between settlements. The route section in question intersects with the Tallinn-Rapla-Türi highway in Mälivere and with the Hagudi-Kodila road at the end of the route section. There are also intersections with several local roads. In the area of the villages of Mälivere and Röa, the route section intersects with the existing Tallinn-Lelle 1520 railway.
Rail Baltic Estonia Environmental Manager Roland WallAccording to the Ministry of Transport, all significant environmental impacts that may arise have been avoided, mitigated to an insignificant extent or compensated for, based on the conclusions of the environmental impact assessment. The railway line also intersects with the Keila River in this section, for example, which is the most important watercourse in the region from the point of view of animal movement routes, and passes through green corridors, the impact on which has been mitigated by the construction of ecoducts. “To reduce railway noise, 8,5 kilometers of various noise barrier solutions will be built on the section – wooden or metal noise barrier walls and earth embankments. In addition, 1,6 kilometers of noise barriers will also be built on intersecting roads. 900 meters of walls will be built to protect hand-winged birds, and four ecoducts, 44 culverts and tunnels for small animals have also been planned for this section to ensure the movement of fauna. Animal passages will be built under the Keila River railway bridge,” Müür listed.
The environmental impact assessment report also sets important conditions for the construction activities – to protect birds, the forest along the route will be cleared outside the bird breeding season and, if necessary, time restrictions will be applied to construction activities. In addition, the water level and quality of wells in the impact area must be ensured during construction activities, and construction materials must be transported and stored in a way that minimizes dust spread.
The implementation and effectiveness of the measures will be monitored through mandatory monitoring throughout the construction period and also throughout the future period of use of the railway.
The environmental impact assessment of Rail Baltica is being carried out in parallel with the ongoing design of the main route. Important impact areas that will be assessed during the EIA: wildlife, noise, energy use, cultural heritage, ambient air, surface and groundwater, etc.
Considering the large number of environmental measures and the complexity of the project, Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ will prepare a corresponding environmental management plan for the management of environmental measures for each assessed section. The environmental management plan includes both the environmental measures made mandatory upon issuance of the permit and the environmental measures voluntarily set by the developer. The environmental management plan will be updated regularly (either once a year or more frequently depending on significant developments in the project) by adding or specifying measures according to changes in environmental information or the emergence of other improved knowledge.
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