22.03.2023
The Consumer Protection and Technical Surveillance Authority has recognized the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the construction project of the Rail Baltica railway section "Kangru - Harju and Rapla County Border" as compliant with the requirements, which brings the start of construction of the section closer.
The local branch of RB Rail AS requested the initiation of the impact assessment 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 third in a row. The environmental impact assessment report was approved for a section of approximately 19 km in Harju County from Kangru to the border of Harju and Rapla County. The railway section runs south across the Viljandi Highway near the Kangru hamlet in Kiili and Saku rural municipality to the county border. The route lies on the eastern edge of the Männiku bog, crosses the Tallinn Ring Road and continues between the Tallinn-Rapla-Türi Highway and the Tallinn-Viljandi railway route in the cultural landscape.
According to Rail Baltic Estonia Environmental Manager Kärt Mae, given the complexity of the project, several environmental mitigation measures must be implemented. “Although there are no protected or conservation areas on the planned railway section or in its area of influence, the project is large-scale and demanding. According to the EIA report, the impacts associated with the project have either been avoided, mitigated or compensated,” Mae noted.
"For example, the route section touches the green network corridor in four places, the largest of which is the green area around Tallinn with its dense traffic and roads. The area also includes the Männiku, Raku and Tammemäe quarry lakes, and the railway route intersects the Vääna River in two places, which is the most important watercourse in terms of animal movement routes in this area," added the environmental manager.
The railway has a significant barrier effect on fauna habitats and this requires the implementation of mitigation measures both during construction and operation. Five large game crossings (three ecoducts, a large crossing by the Kurna stream, a bridge over the Vääna river) and several small mammal and amphibian crossings are planned for this section.
To map the need for noise mitigation, noise maps were prepared based on the assessments, which analyzed the comparison of national requirements and the results of the prediction model. In places where possible noise levels were detected, noise barrier structures with the necessary dimensions were designed.
The TTJA assesses that the EIA report is relevant and sufficient for granting a building permit. Construction activities must be based on the solution of the main design, including the environmental measures developed as a result of the EIA or other measures that are at least equally effective. The implementation and effectiveness of the measures will be monitored by mandatory monitoring throughout the construction period and also during the future period of use of the railway.
Rail Baltic Estonia will prepare an environmental management plan for each section to be assessed to manage environmental measures. The environmental management plan will include 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 by adding or specifying measures as information changes.
The tender for the construction of the railway section is planned to be announced in the second half of this year.
The environmental impact assessment of Rail Baltica is being carried out in parallel with the ongoing design of the main route. The key impact areas that will be assessed during the EIA are wildlife, noise, energy use, cultural heritage, ambient air, and surface and groundwater. The first EIA report, for the Rail Baltica Ülemiste-Kangru section, was declared compliant at the end of July 2022, and the second, for the section from the Harju-Rapla county border to Hagud, in September. A total of eight environmental impact assessment reports will be prepared for the entire Estonian section of the Rail Baltica route.
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