Riihimäki will carry out his duties through Dec. 19, RB Rail AS said in a press release.

"We are saddened that Timo Riihimäki has resigned, but we respect his decision," said Karolis Sankovski, chairman of RB Rail's supervisory board. "On behalf of the supervisory board, I would like to thank him for his hard work and wish him all the best in the future."

As it searches for and recruits a new CEO, the smooth continued operations of the joint venture will be assured by other members of the management board as well as the entire RB Rail team, Sankovski said. The team will also soon be bolstered by a chief program management officer who will be responsible for the acceleration of Global Project critical path activities.

"I regret to leave Rail Baltica due to personal reasons," Riihimäki said. "I experienced Rail Baltica as an exciting project to work for, and I would like to thank the entire RB Rail AS staff, stakeholders, international partners and supervisory board for their cooperation and support."

During his tenure, which began in March, Riihimäki ensured substantial progress on the project by launching design works on 411 kilometers of Rail Baltica's main line as well as launching design procurements for an additional 236 kilometers of track. Riihimäki also further improved the structure of the joint venture by introducing a program management division in order to strengthen the project's capacity in the successful implementation of the design and construction phases. The role of the procurement division at RB Rail AS was also reinforced within the company to ensure a more efficient procurement process.

RB Rail AS is a joint venture established to serve as the central coordinator for the Rail Baltica railroad project. RB Rail shareholders include the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian railway companies Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ, SIA Eiropas Dzelzcela linijas, and UAB Rail Baltica statyba.

Rail Baltica is a double-track, European standard 1,435 mm gauge electrified passenger and freight railroad to be built from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border. The railroad will be 870 kilometers in length.

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