Compliance of Rail Baltic's parameters with military needs important - RB Rail

• Published date: 17 May 2022
• Publication title: LETA

RIGA, May 17, BNS - While the Rail Baltic railway project has been viewed traditionally as an economic corridor, after Russia's attack on Ukraine, compliance of its parameters with military needs has become important, the executive director of the Baltic joint venture RB Rail, Agnis Driksna, says.

Driksna said that there is both a short-term and a long-term impact on the Rail Baltic project in the context of Russia's war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on the aggressors. The short-term challenges are the same as in other industries -- prices, inflation, supply problems. For example, 90 percent of metals were imported from Russia, but now other supply channels need to be found.

"In a long term, we should understand that any crisis comes with opportunities. For example, Rail Baltic earlier had been perceived mostly as an economic corridor and there was no talk of its military significance. Now it has become important that its parameters meet military needs," said Driksna, adding that among other parameters, the maximum load per axle must be at least 25 tons, which ensures that military equipment can be transported by rail as well.

He said that thus the whole...