Rail Baltica: connecting the Baltic States to rest of Europe by high-speed train

Rail Baltica is the largest infrastructure project ever in the Baltics. Built to the latest European standards, it will more than double current top train speeds in the region and incorporate modern technologies, designed for both passenger and freight rail transport.

The railway will run for almost 900 kilometres through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and continue through Poland, linking the Baltic States directly to the rest of the EU rail network. Once completed, it will connect major cities including Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevėžys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw. Rail Baltica will be fully electrified and cut travel times in half, making commuting faster, sustainable and more convenient. 

A key goal of Rail Baltica is to implement the standard European track width of 1435 mm, instead of the older system currently used in the region. This will allow trains to travel smoothly across borders without stopping or changing equipment. The project involves building new infrastructure in the Baltic States and an upgrade of the existing E75 railway line in Poland. 

The project is also very important for security and defence, especially considering the current geopolitical situation and the aggression of Russia against Ukraine. It will enable faster troop and equipment movement, streamline logistics and open strategic military mobility across the North Sea-Baltic and Baltic-Black-Aegean Sea Corridors.

Technical project parameters

Rail Baltica is a very complex project, considering the involvement of several Member States, with different legislative and technical requirements, while combining new solutions and upgrading existing railways along more than 1 200 km. 

The main technical parameters of the project are:

• Baltic States: Approximately 870 km, EU gauge, fast conventional line, with a maximum speed of 249 km/h, double track, electrified and equipped with ERTMS L2.
• Poland: Approximately 375 km, with a maximum speed ranging from 160 to 250 km/h, double track, electrified and featuring ERTMS L2.

Because of its size and cost, Rail Baltica is being built in phases in the Baltic States: 

• Phase I: planned to be completed by 2030, will create the main north–south railway link from Tallinn-Salaspils-Kaunas to the Polish border, with some sections starting as single track. Budget of Phase I = €15.3 billion.
• Phase II: will complete the full double track railway and add direct connections to Riga, Riga Airport and Vilnius. Budget of Phase II = €8.5 billion. 

The overall budget of Rail Baltica in the Baltic States is therefore estimated to be €23.8 billion.

The European Union strongly supports Rail Baltica. The CEF Transport programme provides substantial support to the Global Project, providing around 85% financing to the CEF projects’ budget selected for funding. So far, CEF has provided about €5.6 billion, with most of this funding going to the Baltic States (€3.8 billion) and the rest to Poland (€1.8 billion).

Project status by the end of 2025

By the end of 2025, much of the planning work has been finished and construction is well underway in both Poland and the Baltic States. Several sections of track and major stations are already being built.

Poland: 

• Design is largely completed, except for the Elk-Trakiski section (last remaining section of approx. 80 km connecting to Lithuania, on a new alignment), where the design is ongoing and expected to be completed by 2027.
• Construction works are completed on the Warsaw-Bialystok section (approx. 170 km) and are about to commence on the Bialystok-Elk section (approx. 100 km). Elk-Trakiski section should follow as of 2028. The Polish works should be completed in 2030, together with the phase I of the Baltic states. 

Baltic States: 

• About half of the mainline design is completed. Design sections Tallinn-Parnu (EE), Salaspils-Misa-LT border (LV) and Kaunas-Panevezys (LT) are completed, while the remaining segments are underway, to be completed by 2028/29.
• Extensive mainline works have started and are ongoing in all three Member States: on the Tallinn-Parnu section (EE) (approx. 140 km), on the Misa-LT border section (LV) (approx. 60 km) and Kaunas-Panevezys section including the Neris river bridge (LT) (approx. 100 km), with other sections soon to follow suit. Completion of works is pursued in terminals/stations of Ulemiste (EE), Riga Central station, and Riga airport stations (LV).

By 2030, the goals is to finalise the works for the first phase of the Rail Baltica project and to open the 1435 mm gauge  north-south railway connection between the Baltic States and Poland, along the Tallinn-Salaspils-Kaunas-Warsaw route.

Visualise the project on the map.

Published on 10 February 2026.