17.12.2025
By the end of 2025, Rail Baltica – an infrastructure project aimed at connecting the Baltic states to the European rail network – will have reached a crucial stage in Estonia: construction contracts have now covered the entire main route from Tallinn to the Estonian-Latvian border, and more than 100 kilometers of railway are under active construction.
The 870-kilometer-long Rail Baltica railway, which runs through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Warsaw and will be built on the European standard gauge, has entered an intensive construction phase since 2025. In Estonia, the route covers 213 kilometers and the vast majority of it is now secured by construction contracts, while land acquisition has been completed or legally secured for about 86 percent of the route.
"From the Upper reaches to the Estonian-Latvian border, the entire main route is now covered by construction contracts," said the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia Anvar Salomets at a press briefing at the end of the year, emphasizing that the project has reached a stage where it operates as a continuous rail corridor, not as individual sections.
Approximately 1,1 billion euros worth of financing commitments have been made, giving the project long-term certainty. The railway is designed for passenger trains with speeds of up to 249 km/h and freight trains with speeds of up to 120 km/h, and is an opportunity to reduce transport emissions as well as connect the Baltic States to the Central and Western European Economic Area.
In 2026, Estonia plans to launch large-scale procurements for the construction of the Pärnu International Passenger Terminal, the Muuga Freight Terminal, the Ülemiste Rolling Stock Depot, and the entire railway traffic management system.
"These are the components that make the railway a functioning transportation system, connecting it to the economy and people's daily movements," said Salomets.
In addition to civilian transport, Rail Baltica also has strategic significance. The railway is designed with a higher carrying capacity and a wider track profile than conventional European railways, allowing axle loads of up to 25 tons.
The construction progress of Rail Baltica has also accelerated in the other Baltic States. In Latvia, construction of the main line has started on the southern section in the Iecava area, and the completion of the supporting structure of the Riga International Passenger Terminal is planned for 2026, with passenger services expected to start in 2027. In Lithuania, 77 kilometers of the Rail Baltica main line are already under active construction and more than 110 kilometers of construction contracts have been signed, including major bridges and station infrastructure.
The coming years will be crucial for Estonia as the project moves towards systems installation, testing and final deployment by the end of the decade. However, Salometsa says the most uncertain phase is already behind us.
“The main question used to be whether Rail Baltica would ever happen,” he said. “Now the challenge is implementation – completing a complex cross-border rail system on time and ensuring that all the systems around it are ready for the moment when the trains start running.”
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