Should Latvia face a military conflict, the Rail Baltica railroad could transport as many as 100,000 people per day, according to a presentation made by the country’s Transport Ministry at the Saeima [Parliament] Defence, Internal Affairs and Anti-Corruption Committee on Wednesday.
The presentation declared that the cost of the first stage of the cross-border link between Poland and Lithuania and then Tallinn/Muuga would cost EUR 15.3 billion in the three Baltic states. In Latvia, this includes the installation of the railroad from the Latvian-Lithuanian border to the Estonian-Latvian border. Construction work is to be completed at a terminal at the Riga International Airport and another at the southern end of the Riga Central Train Station. There will also be freight stations in Iecava and Salaspils aimed at enhancing military mobility.
Once the first stage of the project is completed, Rail Baltica will be able to transport up to 98,000 people and up to 55,000 tonnes of cargo per day in the event of a military conflict.
The director of the Transport Ministry’s Rail Baltica Project Department, Gatis Silovs, told the parliamentary panel that a ramp will be installed in Iecava for the unloading of military cargoes. This will be the first place where trains on their way from Poland will be unloaded, and military freight could then be transported to its final destination.
Silovs also says that a full-scale logistics terminal with civilian and military sections will be constructed in Salaspils.
The parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Liene Gatere, says that from the very beginning, her ministry has defined military mobility as a key priority for the Rail Baltica project so that the rail line can be used for the transport of armoured vehicles.
Source: BNS
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