Completing the construction of the Rail Baltica railway in all three Baltic States by 2030 is “mathematically impossible,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs stated, LETA reported. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs said that Estonian political leaders were living in a “dream world” regarding the project’s timetable, suggesting that they had been given incomplete information. “Pointless competition” over deadlines only drives up costs, he argued. The Baltic States should instead find ways to cut costs, for example by reducing the planned speed of trains on the railway, he said. The project requires closer political coordination between the Baltic States, Kulbergs asserted, adding that he was ready to take the lead.
Latvian Finance Minister Maris Kucinskis also said that no one believes that Rail Baltica could be completed by 2030, LETA reported. While abandoning the project was not an option, Latvia must decide which parts of the railway should be built and which should not, he stated, suggesting that Latvia would most likely only build the railway’s main line. Meanwhile, EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said that Rail Baltica had a good chance of securing further EU funding, LSM reported. However, since the EU funds would not cover the entire funding gap to complete the project’s first phase, Rail Baltica’s coordinating entity, RB Rail, called on Baltic governments to allocate at least partial additional funding.