It was reported previously that the Riga central bus station would be moved to a new multimodal transport hub in Torņakalns, on the left bank of River Daugava.
That won't happen but the Riga City Council still plans on building the hub.
It is planned that the railroad embankment will be leveled, raising the railroad to create an overpass and opening up the view from Old Riga to the Central Market.
However Riga International Bus Terminal deputy head Jānis Briedītis says that during the construction just a part of the terminal's territory will be affected by Rail Baltica.
Kaspars Vingris, a project management director at the Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas, the official Rail Baltica partner ir Latvia, confirmed that currently it's thought the bus terminal won't have to be demolished to make way for the high-speed link slated to link the Baltics with the EU.
Vingris said the project to refit the Riga Central Station for Rail Baltica, laying a new bridge over Daugava River and remaking the central railway station, is in the planning phase while construction is to start in late 2019 or early 2020 and finish by 2022.
This means that within five years there should be a new railway bridge over Daugava whereas the central railway station should look very different indeed. It is also planned that a connection from the city center to the airport will be built, said Vingris.
However he said Torņakalns would not become a stop for international trains.
As previously reported by LSM, the Rail Baltica is projected to cost around 6 billion euros and it is hoped the first train will depart from Tallinn in 2027.
If all goes according to plan, the European Union will foot up to 85% of the construction costs, with the three Baltic states contributing the remainder.
