To reinforce the close partnership with Poland and one of the key strategic partners of Rail Baltica – PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., a tripartite letter of intent was signed between the global project coordinator in Baltic states and delivery organization RB Rail AS, national implementing body in Lithuania LTG Infra and the Polish railway infrastructure manager on implementation of Rail Baltica corridor in the Polish/Lithuanian border section at technical and operational levels.
PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. is the Polish manager of railway infrastructure responsible for ensuring the infrastructure development on the Polish side, and the recently signed letter of intent is an expression of the will of all stakeholders in the project to continue cooperation in building the missing rail link of the EU’s North Sea-Baltic TEN-T Core Network, thus ensuring full integration of the three Baltic States into the single European railway area and developing a new economic and security corridor.
The signed letter of intent foresees cooperation of Rail Baltica project partners on matters including striving to achieve consistency between railway infrastructure design reference documents, interface with the energy subsystem architecture at the interface between the boundary components of the energy subsystem, and interface with command-control and signalling subsystems.
“Rail Baltica is a unique and – at this particularly complex geopolitical situation – a much needed EU-level cross-border project for both the security and economic wellbeing of the Baltic region, but also strengthening our common European values. Our cooperation with Poland goes way back, and now, when the project has reached maturity of entering large-scale construction, harmonization of common standards and technical requirements not only within the Baltics, but also on the cross-border section with Poland becomes an even greater priority. We look forward to starting a new phase in the productive cooperation with our Polish partners,” said Agnis Driksna, Chairperson of the Management Board and CEO at RB Rail AS.
“The smooth implementation of the Rail Baltica project, an important railway line for Europe connecting the Baltic States, could not take place without the good cooperation of all partners. The signed letter of intent with RB Rail AS and LTG Infra will further strengthen the form and areas of cooperation. Cooperation and exchange of experience are extremely important for enhancing the quality of rail traffic on cross-border sections. Our activities will be reflected in improving the quality of railway communication between Poland and Lithuania. Rail, the greenest means of transport, will increasingly play a key role in international transport,” said Ireneusz Merchel, President of the Management Board of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A.
“The implementation of Rail Baltica Global Project section from Kaunas to Polish / Lithuanian border is progressing well, and after selection of the route alignment last year, is now entering the design phase. At the same time, we appreciate and welcome the progress in implementation of Rail Baltica project on the Polish section. This letter of intent will further strengthen these joint efforts and the cooperation on common issues that may arise in the implementation of Rail Baltica between the borders of Poland and Lithuania,” said Karolis Sankovski, CEO of LTG Infra.