The development of Rail Baltica Ülemiste joint terminal in Tallinn begins with the reconstruction of the railway infrastructure, for the implementation of which Rail Baltic Estonia and joint tenders GRK Eesti AS and GRK Suomi OY signed a contract in the amount of 27.2 million euros.
During the construction works, the existing Ülemiste railway infrastructure will be rebuilt to make room for the Rail Baltica 1435 mm gauge railway to be built in the future. For this purpose, nearly 16.3 kilometers of existing tracks will be demolished, and more than 8 kilometers of new tracks with a gauge of 1520 mm will be built instead.
According to Anvar Salomets, the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia, starting the reconstruction of the railway infrastructure in the Ülemiste area is an important step for the entire Rail Baltica project, which also allows moving forward with the next stages of the joint terminal. “According to the newly signed contract, most of the works will be carried out within the next year and fully completed by 2026. The strong competence and experience of GRK should ensure timely completion of the reconstruction and best possible quality of the work,” said Salomets.
The cost of the construction contract is 27.2 million euros, of which the most extensive works are related to the construction of tracks and embankment. In addition, a contact network will be established on the main tracks and a traffic control system, electricity supply and station area lighting will be built.
During the construction works, functional train traffic on the main tracks will be ensured, and for this, the existing relay-based traffic control system will be temporarily reconstructed. In addition to the railway works, the scope of the construction procurement also includes the reconstruction of utility networks crossing the railway and the Kantsi viaduct.
“We already contributed to the Rail Baltica project last year in the form of the construction of the Urge ecoduct, and today we are carrying out construction work on the construction of the Kehtna-Põlma road viaduct. The Ülemiste terminal railway project can be called very important from the point of view of the Estonian transport network and Rail Baltica, and we can be proud that GRK will install the first meters of rails on the Rail Baltic route. We expect smooth cooperation aimed at a high-quality final result with all parties involved in the project, including the client, Eesti Raudtee AS, the city of Tallinn and others,” explained Priit Paabo, CEO of GRK Eesti AS.
In addition, the procurement of construction works for stage II of the construction of the Ülemiste joint terminal, i.e., the construction works of the under-rail supporting structures, with which the underground floor of the terminal and other related railway facilities will be built, is currently being evaluated.
The construction of the structures will take place after the demolition of the existing railway and must be completed before the construction of the new railways, requiring close cooperation between the infrastructure contractor and the terminal construction contractor.