EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Railways, Transport

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 09:21

Atkins wins contract on Rail Baltica Infrastructure Management Study

BC, Riga, 23.04.2018.Print version
The British design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins, which is a member of SNC-Lavalin Group, has won the tender to do the Rail Baltica Infrastructure Management Study, LETA was told at RB Rail, the joint venture of the three Baltic countries overseeing the construction of the Rail Baltic railway.

The subject-matter of the contract is a study on Infrastructure Management for the Rail Baltica Global project, RB Rail informed.


The aim of the study is to identify the optimum model for the Rail Baltica infrastructure management in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from the perspectives of life-cycle cost and economic efficiency as well as efficient market functioning, covering a broad range of institutional, operational and commercial factors, while bearing in mind the unique nature of this project and analyzing a range of relevant models of cross-border railway infrastructure management.


According to the Procurement Commission’s decision on the basis of the most economically advantageous offer, the contract is awarded to Atkins. The contract, worth EUR 389,496 (excluding VAT) was signed on April 16, 2018. The study is to be carried out by autumn 2018.


This comprehensive independent analysis of Rail Baltica infrastructure management options will aid and promote an informed future political decision-making process on the management of the Rail Baltica infrastructure by the end of 2018, for the eventually built railway infrastructure.


“European and global best practice benchmarking illustrates that it is highly advisable to determine the long-term infrastructure manager as early as possible during the implementation of a greenfield infrastructure project. Selection of a suitable infrastructure management model is also critical to the success of the Rail Baltica project in the long run. The Infrastructure management study shall provide a better assessment of the long-term value of the Rail Baltica infrastructure in all three Baltic countries and beyond as well as evaluation of the socio-economic return on the European and national investments. It also aids and promotes a diligent, well-informed and substantiated future political decision-making process by the end of 2018 for the Rail Baltica infrastructure management,” said RB Rail Business Development Manager Kaspars Briskens.


In total, four applicants submitted their bids in the open competition – DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, Ingenieria y Economia del Transporte S.M.E.M.P.S.A., McKinsey & Company Poland Sp.z. o. o., and Atkins.


RB Rail AS is the central coordinator for the Rail Baltic project for the construction of a new fast conventional, European standard gauge double track electrified railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border. RB Rail shareholders are the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian railway companies, UAB Rail Baltica Statyba, SIA Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas and Rail Baltic Estonia OU.


Rail Baltic, estimated to cost around EUR 5.8 billion in total, is a project to build a direct railway connection between the Baltic countries and the European railway network.






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