County plans
The Minister of Public Administration established the regional plans for Harju, Rapla and Pärnu counties, the aim of which was to find the most suitable location for the planned Rail Baltica railway corridors. With the establishment of regional plans in Estonia, this process has now been completed in all Baltic countries. In Latvia, the spatial planning of the entire route was approved by a government decision in 2016, and in January 2017, the Lithuanian government approved the plan for the section between Kaunas and the Lithuanian-Latvian border in Lithuania.
"All three county plans initiated by the Estonian government, which plan the Rail Baltica railway line passing through many municipalities, have now been established. Work on this can continue," said the Minister of Public Administration Jack Aab.
All local governments and people whose properties are affected by the route corridor were involved in the planning process. All opinions submitted, including those of non-governmental organizations, were also heard and, where possible, taken into account. During the preparation of the county plans, a total of 86 public discussions were held in the three counties, in which 4214 people participated.
The plan is the basis for the design of the railway. The construction project then determines the extent of the railway land and the exact need for this land, which the Estonian state will acquire. Until the plan is implemented, the land units remaining in the route corridor can continue to be used according to their current intended purpose, i.e. the plan does not immediately restrict the current land use.
Additional information:
Harju County Plan “Determining the location of the Rail Baltic railway route corridor”
Rapla County Plan “Determining the Location of the Rail Baltic Railway Corridor”
Pärnu County Plan “Determination of the location of the Rail Baltic railway route corridor”
