Riga Central Railway Station to Become a Multimodal Mobility Centre in the Baltics

As construction work on Rail Baltica continues, an online discussion was held on Thursday, 17 June, at which the implementers of the Rail Baltica project, representatives of the railway and road transport sectors, and specialists in urban planning, accessibility and public amenities discussed current developments and issues to be resolved on the way towards a multimodal mobility centre.

“Riga Central Station is like an artery of transport flows that needs to be developed with the utmost care, taking into account residents’ expectations and sustainable transport development,” Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits said during the online discussion “Rail Baltica Construction at Riga Central Railway Station – Creating a Multimodal Mobility Centre”.

“The station will be transformed into the capital’s central transport hub with modern and accessible infrastructure, where people in wheelchairs, with prams or with their bicycles can conveniently reach the station platforms,” the Minister of Transport said. “The construction of Rail Baltica at the station will create opportunities to establish new routes for international, regional and suburban trains, as well as a direct connection to Riga Airport. The station will offer the advantages of a multimodal transport hub, with convenient micromobility options, such as leaving one’s bicycle, renting a scooter and so on; a bus and minibus station will also be established on the ground floor of the station.”

“The ‘City within a City’ principle has been observed in the reconstruction of Riga Central Railway Station,” said Kaspars Vingris, Chairman of the Board of SIA “Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas”. “It provides for transport planning with diverse transport accessibility, connectivity between adjacent areas, the provision of additional services at the station and accessibility. Trains using both 1,435 mm and 1,520 mm track gauges will stop at the station; there will be a multimodal public transport zone, while new pedestrian and cycle paths and city transport stops will be built nearby. Riga Central Station will also have restaurants, cafés, waiting areas and other services required by passengers. Once the embankment has been removed, two city districts will be connected, and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge will be built. Within just one hour, Riga Central Station will be accessible to 847,000 people, i.e. almost half the country’s population,” explained the representative of SIA “Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas”.

To implement the concept of a multimodal mobility centre, the implementers of the Rail Baltica project cooperated with more than 50 different stakeholders. As a result of public involvement, solutions were found regarding accessibility, the location of cycle paths and the use of bridges.

“The task of BERERIX is to design and build the Rail Baltica Riga Central Hub so that this infrastructure is functional, sustainable and safe for many decades to come. We are creating the centre of Riga for the next 100 years. This entails additional responsibility for the solutions we incorporate into the project. For example, the station building is being designed with particular care, with effective thermal insulation in mind in order to reduce costs and environmental impact,” emphasised Guntis Āboltiņš-Āboliņš, a representative of the BERERIX construction company’s supervisory board and Chairman of the Board of RERE Grupa.

Kristiāns Godiņš, Chairman of the Board of the Road Transport Administration, added that “the Rail Baltica project is eagerly awaited because we recognise that Riga significantly lacks the capacity required for public transport infrastructure. This project will make it possible to expand access to bus and rail services.”

Edgars Auziņš, Head of the Passenger Transport Department at AS Pasažieru vilciens, noted during the discussion that “Pasažieru vilciens will have 32 new electric trains, with level boarding from the new platforms; the climate will be controlled by air-conditioning systems; facilities, a suitable environment and conveniences for passengers with special needs will be available; speed and acceleration will be increased; and passengers will be able to charge smart devices and use a wireless network, as well as benefit from modern passenger video and audio information systems.”

“We are building this station for the entire Baltic region. Once the railway line has been constructed, travel times to Tallinn and Vilnius will be significantly reduced. The flow of people travelling to and from Riga for a wide variety of business, tourism and leisure purposes will create a unified Baltic space. Such a space has not existed until now, but Riga will now lie at its centre. Thanks to its geographical location, Riga can position itself as the largest transport hub in the Baltics, comprising the station, Riga Airport, the port with its ferries, as well as the coach station and public transport,” emphasised Neils Balgalis, an urban planning expert at SIA Grupa93.

“At present, a local plan for the Rail Baltica corridor area is being developed throughout the length of the Rail Baltica route within the city of Riga. The aim is to successfully create and integrate a multimodal transport hub into Riga’s urban structure, improving connections between parts of the city and creating conditions for the development of attractive places to work and live,” stated Viesturs Krūmiņliela, a representative of the Transport Infrastructure Planning Division of the Mobility Administration of the Riga City Council’s Department of City Development.

The discussion also focused on accessibility solutions for people with functional impairments, as well as the planned landscaping and public amenity solutions for the Southern Square of Central Station. As Edgars Neilands, Head of SIA LABIE KOKI, noted: “To create an authentic feeling reflecting Latvia’s location by the water, 38 large trees are planned to be planted—pine trees combined with deciduous trees characteristic of Latvia, such as oak, maple and rowan. The plantings in the station square will be supplemented by more than 4,000 shrubs and perennials, whose decorative appeal is planned to last throughout the year.”

Rail Baltica construction work on the Riga Central Hub project is being carried out in the Southern Square of Riga Central Railway Station, which has been prepared for construction of the new station building and the new European-gauge tracks, as well as several existing 1,520 mm-gauge tracks, without interrupting the operation of the existing station.

Rail Baltica project implementers in Latvia are SIA Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas and RB Rail AS. The construction work is being carried out by the winner of the international tender, the BERERIX construction company, which comprises Belgium’s largest construction company BESIX Group, the national contractor RERE Būve and the Italian company Rizzani de Eccher.

Between 81% and 85% of the project is financed by the EU Connecting Europe Facility, while the remaining part is covered by Latvia’s state budget. The beneficiary of EU support and the project implementer is the Ministry of Transport.

More information -https://www.sam.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/rigas-centrala-dzelzcela-stacija-partop-par-multimodalu-mobilitates-centru-baltija

Author:

Public Relations Specialist

Communications Division

Ministry of Transport

sam.gov.lv