The conservation design for the Rail Baltica overpass span built over Lastādijas Street and Ģenerāļa Radziņa Embankment, together with its support structure in the Daugava River, will require 81,414 euros including value-added tax (VAT), according to an information report submitted by the Ministry of Transport for coordination on the Legal Acts Portal.
Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas (EDzL) told LETA that the total length of the overpass is 140 metres. The overpass is a significant and technically complex section of the previously planned bridge project. The exposed section of the overpass span above the Daugava now needs to be preserved until construction of the bridge begins.
The next step towards completing the bridge will be the construction of the overpass supports and crossing from Zaķusala, which will be carried out once appropriate financing has been secured and in line with Rail Baltica priorities.
The Ministry of Transport’s information report states that, based on information provided by EDzL, the estimated cost of conservation works for subsection 3A of Riga Central Station, which includes the overpass and support structure, amounts to approximately 551,000 euros excluding VAT under a long-term conservation scenario extending to 2035. This includes both the conservation design and the conservation works themselves.
Meanwhile,
the minimum maintenance work required until conservation begins or construction resumes is estimated at 31,069 euros
excluding VAT. The total identified conservation and maintenance requirements for subsection 3A therefore amount to approximately 582,069 euros excluding VAT.
To ensure that further action complies with regulatory requirements and to prepare the basis for procuring the conservation works, 67,284 euros excluding VAT is required to develop the conservation design for the engineering structure in subsection 3A of Riga Central Station. The indicative amount including VAT is 81,414 euros.
The ministry stresses that financing the development of the conservation design should be regarded as an urgent preparatory measure rather than the allocation of full financing for the conservation works. Developing the conservation design will allow EDzL to specify the scope of work, technical solutions, costs and procurement requirements, as well as enable the subsequent procurement of conservation works in accordance with public procurement legislation.
The development of the conservation design for the engineering structure in subsection 3A of Riga Central Station is only one part of the broader package of measures for conserving Riga Central Station and clearing the construction site. The Cabinet of Ministers will be informed separately about these measures.
The ministry stresses that allocating the funding should be regarded as an urgent preparatory measure
aimed at preventing further deterioration of the structure’s technical condition, ensuring that documentation for the conservation works is prepared and reducing the risk of potentially higher costs to the state budget in the future.
Once the conservation design has been completed, information on the financing required and other circumstances related to carrying out the conservation works will be prepared for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers.
As previously reported by LETA, the Rail Baltica main line in Latvia is planned to be implemented in its existing scope during the first phase. This includes establishing the Rail Baltica cross-border connection from Lithuania to the Estonian border, as well as completing construction works at Riga Airport and the southern section of Riga Central Station to enable Rail Baltica to connect with the existing railway network.
Therefore, the first phase of the project does not include the so-called “Riga loop”.
It has also been reported that the cost of the first phase of Rail Baltica in the Baltic states could reach 14.3 billion euros, of which 5.5 billion euros would be required in Latvia. However, after indexation, Latvia’s share could rise to six billion euros.
According to the project’s cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of Rail Baltica across the Baltic states could reach 23.8 billion euros. The previous cost-benefit analysis, carried out in 2017, estimated the total cost of the project at 5.8 billion euros.
The Rail Baltica project envisages the construction of a European-standard-gauge railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border, connecting the Baltic states by rail with other European countries. A new 870-kilometre European-gauge (1,435 mm) railway line is planned across the Baltic states, with trains reaching a maximum speed of 240 kilometres per hour.
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