02.02.2023
A working group of experts from the three Baltic states, including representatives of Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ, LTG Infra AB and SIA Eiropas Dzelzcela Līnijas, responsible for managing the Rail Baltica railway infrastructure, has prepared important proposals for the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity after the start of railway operations on the Rail Baltica railway line currently under construction.
The allocation of railway infrastructure capacity is one of the main functions of a company that will manage the railway infrastructure. The purpose of the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity is to enable companies interested in using the railway to plan their transport within a certain period of time. The expert working group has developed a model of how the capacity allocation process could work on the Rail Baltica railway line and has proposed following the practices developed by the European Association of Railway Infrastructure Companies (RailNetEurope). The expert working group's proposals will be submitted for consultation and alignment with the relevant institutions.
“In the grand scheme of things, infrastructure construction is just the tip of the iceberg of the entire railway lifecycle, and although Rail Baltica will only be physically in place for years, we need to start thinking now about how rail operations will work once the infrastructure is complete. Given the fact that we are developing a brand new connection, we have a unique opportunity to do things right from the start. Developing a strong and functional infrastructure management model is the foundation of this ambition,” said Rail Baltic Estonia CEO and Chairman of the Board Anvar Salomets.
A special form of cooperation was established between the entities responsible for managing the Rail Baltica infrastructure in 2020, and Rail Baltica's preparatory work for creating a railway infrastructure management model began immediately. To this end, a joint expert working group is developing measures that can be implemented in all three Baltic States to ensure open and easy access to the railway infrastructure under construction for interested market participants.
The Rail Baltica management model is based on a previously developed action plan, which defines twelve key areas related to infrastructure management and its operations, such as charging and capacity allocation, a hub (one-stop shop ) implementation of the principle, railway safety, etc.
Considering that train traffic will be launched on the Rail Baltica railway immediately after the project is completed, the development of the infrastructure management model and preparations for the railway's operational phase will take place in parallel. More information can be found in the annual report of the expert working group. from the activity reportTo ensure that the objectives of the development of the Rail Baltica infrastructure management model are achieved in a timely manner, Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ, LTG Infra AB and SIA Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas also recently signed a memorandum defining the cooperation framework and principles to be followed.
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