03.09.2024
Rail Baltic Estonia today signed the most financially significant contract for the Estonian part of Rail Baltica. OÜ Verston and OÜ Järelpinge Inseneribüroo, which won the tender through a joint bid, will build a 17,2 km long Rail Baltica main route section in Rapla county, Rapla and Kehtna rural municipalities. The contract value is approximately 87,8 million euros.
"To use an old saying, Rail Baltica procurements and construction contracts are currently coming like sawdust from a sawmill, and everyone can see that construction activities related to the new railway are gaining more and more momentum in the physical environment. Figuratively speaking, with the contract signed today, we have reached a quarter of the main route of the Estonian part of the railway, and it is also the longest section for which we have reached an agreement so far," said the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia Anvar Salomets, promising that the following agreements will be concluded in the near future.
Verston's Chairman of the Board Veiko Veskimäe According to Veskimäe, Rail Baltica is one of the most important projects for Estonia today: in addition to the necessary new connection to Europe, it will bring a significant portion of investments back to the country through taxes and stimulate our economy. “A major project is also important for the infrastructure construction sector because it offers our engineers completely new opportunities and challenges in terms of work during difficult times. This in turn will help the field develop. The success of Rail Baltica will certainly give impetus to the implementation of other projects important for the development of Estonia. Every well-thought-out infrastructure project that takes into account the needs of people and the environment is a future-oriented investment that creates a more solid foundation for Estonia's competitiveness and sustainable development,” added Veskimäe.
In the construction works of the fourth stage of the Rail Baltica Raplamaa main route on the Alu – Kärpla section, the construction of the railway embankment will provide the largest volume. Along with the construction of the railway foundation, five major crossings will be built, which are the Vigala River railway bridge, the Kuusiku ecoduct, the Rõue River railway bridge, the Raela ecoduct and the Aasu viaduct.
The contract will also include the construction of the foundations of the RB Rapla railway station with platforms.
The 17,2-kilometer-long project is characterized by a large volume of earthworks (approximately 2 million m³), 78 concrete culverts will be placed in the railway structure, with a total length of almost two kilometers, and approximately 2,7 km of noise barriers will also be installed.
The Põlma viaduct has already been built on this section of the main route, and the Parila viaduct, Parila bridge, and Juula viaduct are currently being built.
The duration of the construction contract is 48 months, meaning the main route section must be completed in September 2028. The contractual cost of the construction work is 87,8 million euros, plus VAT.
With the newly signed contract, 55 kilometers of the Estonian part of the Rail Baltica main route are covered by contract or are already under construction. This year, six contracts have been signed for the construction of the Rail Baltica main route, the financial volume of which totals 320 million euros.
The construction contract is financed from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Estonian state budget.
Photos from today's contract signing event.
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