At the end of August, at a government meeting, representatives of the Ministry of Finance (FM) warned their colleagues from the transport sector that if nothing was done, around €400 million could slip through their fingers.
At the time, Finance Minister Arvils Ašeradens (New Unity) said, "The situation is becoming critical if we do not take decisions in September. It is not just us, it is the European Commission that agrees with one or the other of our plans."
As Ašeradens pointed out, the picture is brighter now. The Ministry of Transport wants to invest money in Rail Baltica's international stations so that they can be used by existing trains in the next few years. In particular, to complete the Riga Central Railway Station building and the new Riga Airport station to a usable level, as well as to add a new section of about 3.5 kilometers between the existing tracks and the airport.
"From my point of view, it would make sense to support the Rail Baltica option. At least then we are making some progress, both with the stations and with the Rail Baltica solution to Riga. But the European Commission also has its own vision of how these funds should be used. So we will wait for the answers," the Finance Minister noted.
These funds were previously earmarked for other things, such as battery trains to replace the current diesel trains.
If the European Commission gives the green light to Latvia's plan, there would be enough money to divert the current Škoda trains from Riga city center to the airport, Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens (Progressives) said.
Although Briškens said that this was an absolute priority, if the European Commission says no, there is theoretically a plan "B".
"Clearly, we have a whole series of next-level projects in the rail system that need further investment. This includes modernizing stations and increasing line speeds. In any case, there is such a huge investment deficit in these sectors that we will definitely fight to keep all these investment funds in the transport sector," Briškens said.
According to Finance Minister Ašeradens, the European Commission's decision on whether to allow Latvia to channel EU funds to Rail Baltica in this way could be expected by the end of this year.
