The study outlines a service description, a usage forecast, and recommendations for detailed design of the line’s seven stations at Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Riga Airport, Panevėžys, Kaunas and Vilnius, along with the four Baltic airports in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas.
The study recommends that in future, Rail Baltica should:
- provide combined air-rail ticketing solutions, by promoting integrated cooperation between rail operators and airlines
- provide fully integrated baggage services at the seven international Rail Baltica stations
- adopt International Air Transport Association (IATA) codes for international Rail Baltica stations, and
- provide the necessary infrastructure at all international Rail Baltica stations to ensure a unified service standard and functionality.
The study also details key infrastructure requirements to be implemented in the design of Rail Baltica stations to enable optimum air-rail intermodality, including check-in, baggage drop and baggage storage facilities; baggage transfer between station platforms and airports; and station safety initiatives, including removing trip hazards and installing visually contrasting edges and grab rails.
The study recommends ensuring passenger information screens display both flights and train services at airport stations, while train information should also be made available at airports. The future high-speed rolling stock should also be designed to enable optimum air-rail integration.
“The integrated solutions proposed in the study are supported by key Baltic aviation stakeholders, including commercial operators, and are in line with global best practice, which has been extensively benchmarked as part of the study,” says RB Rail CEO, Mr Timo Riihimäki.
“It is, therefore, strongly recommended that Rail Baltica capitalises on its unique greenfield opportunity by ensuring the appropriate railway design adaptations to enable the recommended functionalities and integrated services to be performed during the Rail Baltica operational phase, following the relevant operator-level business case assessments.” ail Baltica is a joint venture for the construction of an 870km mixed-traffic standard-gauge railway with a design speed of 240km/h from the Estonian capital Tallinn, via Riga and Riga Airport in Latvia, and Panevezys and Kaunas in Lithuania, to the Polish border, with a branch from Kaunas to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
A tender to construct the Rail Baltica station and related infrastructure at Riga International Airport was announced earlier this month.
