Silina also sees responsibility of RB Rail and Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas in poor management of Rail Baltica project

RIGA - Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) is surprised by the lack of information of previous governments on the development of the Rail Baltica project, but also sees the responsibility of RB Rail and Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas, the companies in charge of implementation of the project.

Today, in her annual report to the Saeima on the work of the Cabinet of Ministers, Silina also expressed her views on the Rail Baltica project. Silina promised that "the self-flow of the project is over", but that the kind of management that has been exercised so far by the Transport Ministry is unacceptable. Silina also expressed surprise over the failure of Transport Minister Talis Linkaitis (New Conservative Party) to keep the government up to date on the project. "I wonder how it could have been under Linkaitis that the government was not fully informed about what the ministry was really planning to do?" Silina said.

Representatives of the State Audit Office have told Silina that during the evaluation of the Rail Baltica project it seemed that "decisions were somehow taken by themselves".

At the same time, the Prime Minister also sees the responsibility of RB Rail and Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas in the management of the project. "The people who have received tens of millions of euros over the years, both in RB Rail and in Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas, are certainly responsible for how they have implemented this project and how well this project has been managed," said Silina.

As reported, there is currently no clarity on the model of operation and management of the Rail Baltica railway line, according to the report on the Rail Baltica project presented by the supreme audit institutions of the Baltic states.

According to the latest Rail Baltica cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of the line in the Baltics could reach EUR 23.8 billion, including EUR 15.3 billion for the first phase of the project in the Baltics and EUR 6.4 billion in Latvia. A previous cost-benefit analysis in 2017 estimated the total cost of the project at EUR 5.8 billion.