Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T FINAL REPORT Summary 2016. 1 Summary of Final report Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) Contracting Authority: Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia 3 Gogoļa Street, Riga, LV-1743 Contractor: General partnership „RB Latvija“ Registered address 240-3, Maskavas Street Riga, LV- 1063 Phone +371 67524170 Fax +371 67524172 Contact Arnis Skrastiņš E-mail [email protected] Submitted (Contractor): General partnership „RB Latvija“ Authorised person A.Skrastiņš ____________________________________________ Received (Contracting Authority): Railway Department at the Ministry of Transport Project manager K.Vingris ____________________________________________ 31/08/2016 The present document was elaborated by the general partnership „RB Latvija“. The information contained within it is intended to be used for the purposes of the agreement „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) concluded by and between the Contracting Authority and GP „RB Latvija“ on 30 April 2014. The report includes all and any deliverables according to the Terms of Reference. Any statement, assumption, and opinion mentioned in the report shall be considered taking the context of the report into account. Chapters not included in the report are included in the Final report. 2 Summary of Final report Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) Table of contents ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS 4 INTRODUCTION 6 1. STUDY OF THE ROUTE ALIGNMENT OPTIONS FOR THE RAILWAY TIE-IN IN RIGA 11 2. DETAILED STUDY OF TECHNICAL AND SPATIAL PRECONDITIONS AND ELABORATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE RAILWAY ROUTE ALIGNMENT 17 3. DETERMINATION OF THE TECHNICAL PARAMETERS OF THE RAILWAY LINE 24 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 29 5. ELABORATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE RAILWAY ROUTE ALIGNMENT 34 6. ELABORATION OF TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS 41 7. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT 56 8. DRAFTING THE SCHEDULE AND ROADMAP FOR FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION 67 9. DETAILED TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR EACH ELEMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 79 10. COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS (MUNICIPALITIES, GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITIES AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS) AND THE SOCIETY 81 3 Summary of Final report Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS Accepted railway the alignment option accepted by the Cabinet of Ministers of the line route Republic of Latvia (Act No. 467, 24.08.2016) in accordance with the Law on Environment Impact Assessment CBA cost-benefit analysis CEF The Connecting Europe Facility Common principles a document approved by the three Baltic States (The Common principles for the Rail Baltica 1435 mm railway Spatial and Territorial Planning and Preliminary Design Study) Contracting the Ministry of Transport (in accordance with Agreement No. SM Authority 2014/-25 of 30/04/2014) Contractor general partnership „RB Latvija” (in accordance with Agreement No. SM 2014/-25 of 30/04/2014) EC European Commission EE Estonia EIA environmental impact assessment ERTMS European Rail Traffic Management System ESB or the Bureau Environmental State Bureau ESIFs European Structural and Investment Funds EU European Union Feasibility study the Feasibility study „Feasibility study on the European standard width railway line in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Rail Baltica corridor)”. Title in English: "Feasibility study and technical studies of new European gauge line of Rail Baltica section Kaunas-Riga-Tallinn". The Feasibility study was carried out by AECOM Ltd being commissioned by the three countries – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania GP general partnership GSM-R Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway JSC joint stock company LT Lithuania LV Latvia M 1: 10 000 scale 1: 10 000 Main railway line the alignment option selected following the consideration of all aspects route alignment (engineering, technology, environmental, legal, costs and benefits, etc.) option for the new railway line to be built, and which has received a positive environmental impact assessment and has been approved by the Contracting Authority. Another abbreviation is also used in the text – recommended or preferred route MCA multi-criteria analysis NATURA 2000 a network of protected areas across the European Union PBI Project Bond initiative PLA protected landscape area Project the construction of the new European gauge railway line Rail Baltica (the Latvian section) Railway according to the Railway Law, railway infrastructure is a complex infrastructure engineering installation, which comprises: rails (tracks), switches, cross-ties, ballast, crossings and other components; ground beneath tracks (earth structures and railway right of way) and engineered structures and installations (bridges, 4 Summary of Final report Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) support poles, road crossings, culverts, drainage installations, communication line conduits, retaining walls and protective walls and the like); boundary markings and protective plantings; railway signalling, central control and interlocking communications systems, facilities to ensure the safe movement of trains and the regulation of switch positions and signals, signal lights, signal indicators, and fixed signals; railway telecommunications networks; aerial and underground railway electric supply cables, catenary, transformer and traction substations; railway stations, passing and stopping places; buildings and structures necessary for the maintenance, repair and use of the railway infrastructure facilities. SCCO or the Office State Construction Control Office SRTI or the State Railway Technical Inspectorate Inspection TEN-T Trans-European Transport Network ToR Terms of Reference of Procurement No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T TPSS traction power sub-station TSI technical specifications for interoperability VIA Baltica European road E67 linking Tallinn with Warsaw 5 Summary of Final report Project „Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica“ (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) INTRODUCTION Rail Baltica is a public use railway transport infrastructure project, within which a new European gauge (1 435 mm) railway line will be built in the Baltic States, and which will connect Tallinn – Riga – Kaunas – Warsaw – Berlin. The route indirectly covers also Finland, which means the project affects also the Scandinavian countries. Rail Baltica is part of the TEN-T core network and the Adriatic Sea – Baltic Sea corridor, and is identified as a priority TEN-T project of the common interests of Europe. In Latvia and the other two Baltic States, the present railway gauge width is the Russian standard 1 520 mm, while in the majority of the Member States the gauge width amounts to 1 435 mm. Therefore, the existing railway network and rolling stock in the Baltic States is not compatible with the railway network in Poland and Germany. In 2011, the three Baltic States commissioned AECOM Ltd. to carry out the Feasibility study “Feasibility study on the European standard width railway line in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Rail Baltica corridor)”, which included a recommendation regarding the preferred railway line route alignment. In 2014 – 2015, the Baltic States carried out studies, planning, and an environmental impact assessment, and elaborated the engineering solutions for the envisaged railway line. The project shall be co-funded by the European Union. In 2015, the funding for Stage 1 of the project was received; in Latvia, this shall be used for the design and construction of the main section from Riga city centre to Riga International Airport. The whole Rail Baltica shall be completed by 2025 (Figure 1). Implementation schedule of the Rail Baltica in Latvia Experts of the national study projects from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were in close cooperation and observed the Common principles for the Rail Baltica 1 435 mm Railway Spatial and Territorial Planning and Preliminary Design Study elaborated and approved by the Rail Baltica Task Force. The national study for Latvia was carried out within the agreement concluded by and between the Ministry of Transport and the general partnership “RB Latvija” – “Detailed technical study and environmental impact assessment of the Latvian section of the European gauge railway line Rail Baltica” (ID No. SAM 2012/12 TEN-T) (hereinafter – Detailed technical study or Study). The Detailed technical study is carried out within these projects co-funded by the European Union: “Studies on the European gauge railway line (Latvian section)”, Project No.2007-LV-27050-S. On 11 December 2008 the European Commission