The design phase is complete and the international construction procurement has been announced, which will take place in two rounds over the next year.
According to plans, after the station and overpass are constructed it will be possible to reach Riga Airport from the city center in eight minutes, with trains running every half hour.
However this won't be possible before 2025, because the amount of construction work is huge and will be carried out in several phases. Passengers and nearby residents will have to take into account traffic changes and other inconveniences over several years.
“The first two phases include construction of the overpass, access roads and other related infrastructure, which are projected to be completed by the end of 2023. The third and fourth phases include the overpass towards Rīga and Jaunmārupe, while the fifth phase, which will be completed by 2025, includes the embankment and overpass over Ulmaņu Avenue and six kilometers of rails,” explains Rail Baltica Board Chair Kaspars Vingris.
Tālis Linkaits, Transport Minister, said:
“Rail Baltica railway connection to Riga Airport is a modern, convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to passenger mobility. It will expand the Airport catchment area to Lithuania and Estonia. This connection is also important for traffic coming into Riga. By setting up a park & ride available at the Airport, residents will reach Riga centre by train in eight minutes.“
This is the second Rail Baltica construction procurement in Latvia. Currently the Riga Central station reconstruction is in the design phase, and the construction work could begin at the end of next year.
As previously reported, Rail Baltica is a double track, European standard 1,435 mm gauge electrified railway for passenger and freight transport to be built from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border. The overall length of the railway will be 870 kilometers. The total cost of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is estimated at around €5.8 billion with the first trains due to start rolling in 2025.
