The section, which starts the eastern side of Ülemiste Station, will be 4.8 kilometers long, extending to the crossing of Lagedi tee in Soodevahes, Rae Municipality.

The work also includes partial construction work on the embankment of Ülemiste Station's maintenance depot, as well as partial construction on the embankment of the railway section of the prospective passenger car loading station, according to Rail Baltic Estonia

The main line embankment to be built in the  section will be between 14 and 20 meters wide, with construction work to start this spring. Along with the railway embankment, the necessary drainage, cable sewers, earth drainage systems, retaining walls and the rebuilding of various utility networks will also be installed, as well as a special door in the embankment to provide access for small animals.

The total cost of the contract is €34.2 million, 85 percent of which will be financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Construction work will start in the spring and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2027.

"With these signatures today, we have finally reached the point that marks the beginning of the construction of the main railway line. In addition, we have already announced the construction of the rest of the main line in Harju County," said Anvar Salomets, chair of Rail Baltic Estonia's management board.

If subsequent construction tenders, which were launched at the end of 2023, are successful, construction will be able to start on more than a third of the Rail Baltic route in Estonia.

Rail Baltic (also known as Rail Baltica) will connect Estonia with its southern neighbors and Central Europe by rail. It will enable passengers to travel from Tallinn to Pärnu in 40 minutes and Tallinn to Riga in just one hour and 42 minutes. Rail Baltic Estonia will be the developer of the Estonian section of the railway and its infrastructure manager.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!