ESTONIA: Local delivery agency Rail Baltic Estonia signed two construction contracts worth €726m on May 16; with options for procuring rails, sleepers, switches and ballast, the total value could reach €932m.
The first agreement valued at €394m covers the superstructure of the Ülemiste – Pärnu section of the standard gauge high speed line, as well as the subgrade and superstructure between Tootsi and Pärnu. It was awarded to Alliance 1, a consortium consisting of GRK Eesti, GRK Suomi, Aktsiaselts Merko Ehitus Eesti, NGE Contracting, Sweco Finland, Sweco Sverige and TSO SAS.
The second contract covers the complete design and construction of the Pärnu – Ikla section and is worth €332m. This was signed with the Alliance 2, comprising Bouygues Travaux Public, Budimex, INGEROP Conseil et Ingenierie, KMG Infra and WSP Finland.
These are the final contracts for Rail Baltica trackwork in Estonia. In March, Rail Baltica Estonia signed a contract with local company Tariston for the construction of the first section of the Selja – Tootsi route, while the same company had previously agreed to build the Hagudi – Alu section. The work in Estonia is planned to be completed by 2030, even though there are concerns that the railway through neighbouring Latvia may not be ready by then.
‘These contracts mark a new stage in the implementation of Rail Baltica — not the beginning of a new phase, but a breakthrough in the entire construction. Now the entire Estonian part of the main passenger transport route is covered by contracts. This is the moment when the vision on paper becomes an uninterrupted construction line,’ said Anvar Salomets, Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia.
‘I am pleased that the interest in the tender was high and that strong consortiums with international experience made it to the final selection. This confirms that Rail Baltica is an attractive and strategically important project for the world’s leading infrastructure construction companies,’ added Kuldar Leis, Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure. ‘Rail Baltica is not just a railway line, but an important investment in Estonia’s security and economic environment, strengthening our connection with Europe. Our goal is to complete Rail Baltica by the agreed deadline – the signing of today’s contracts is an important milestone on this path.’
Tallinn Linda terminus
On May 21, Rail Baltic Estonia signed an €85m contract with Merko Ehitus Eesti for construction of the Tallinn terminus, which Rail Baltica named Linda in 2021. Work is due to begin in November this year, with the building scheduled to be handed over to the Rail Baltica in October 2028.
Located in the city’s Ülemiste district, the station’s buildings will span Suur-Sõjamäe Street, the Rail Baltica route and Eesti Raudtee’s conventional rail infrastructure. The central structure will be 180 m long and up to 20 m high, with pedestrian tunnels and service space beneath. There will be three platforms, each covered by a canopy for about half their length.
Uninterrupted operation of the existing railway is required throughout the construction period. The project body says this will require extremely precise planning and co-ordination.
‘The Ülemiste Linda terminal is unprecedented in the history of Estonian railways — it is not just a building, but Estonia’s new gateway to the world’, said Salomets. ’The terminal building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects marks a new era in the infrastructure development of the Baltic States, which Merko is now implementing.’
