Mr Riihimäki will begin work in his new position on 11 March and be based in Riga, sopkespeople for RB Rail AS said.

He has previously worked in several management positions at NRC Group A/S, the leading Finnish railway engineering, construction and maintenance company, most recently as a member of the management board and vice president of material services and track machinery.

According to Karolis Sankovski, chairman of the supervisory board of RB Rail AS, the supervisory board welcomes Mr Riihimäki to the position.

"He has broad international and domestic knowledge in railway infrastructure construction, maintenance services and railway heavy machinery operations," he highlighted. "In addition, he is experienced in corporate and business turnaround strategies and the management of international companies and organizations."

As for current priorities, RB Rail shareholders and its supervisory board expect Mr Riihimäki to strive for the timely implementation of the detailed technical design phase of various sections of the Rail Baltica railway, and trust that thanks to his personal contributions and the involvement of the RB Rail team, the project will continue to move forward.

Mr Riihimäki said it was a privilege to be appointed CEO of RB Rail.

"The economic and social importance of Rail Baltica as well as its scale make it one of the most complex and, at the same time, most interesting projects in Europe," he said. "Rail Baltica will positively impact the lives of millions of people, and it is important to implement this project on time and within its budget."

Prior to entering the railway sector, Mr Riihimäki led an extensive career in leading positions at Finnair Group. He holds an MBA from the Henley Business School of the University of Reading as well as a diploma in marketing from Finland's Institute of Marketing.

Previous CEO quit last autumn

Baiba Rubesa, the previous CEO of RB Rail AS, resigned shortly before the end of her term last September, sharply criticising the cooperation between countries participating in the project and its management.

Rail Baltic is a double track, European standard 1,435 mm gauge electrified railway for passenger and freight transport to run 870km from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border.

RB Rail AS is the central coordinator for the Rail Baltica project. RB Rail shareholders include Lithuania's UAB Rail Baltica statyba, Latvia's SIA Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas, and Estonia's Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ.

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