Rail Baltica gets Latvian funding extension as Baltic leaders urged to act

The Latvian government approved amendments to the European Infrastructure Connecting Instrument (EISI) contract to extend the Rail Baltica construction deadline to 31 December 2029. The changes enable continued work on the new railway link between Riga Airport station and Imanta station and include a pre‑financing grant of €29.2 million to keep works on the Riga Central‑Airport connection underway.

Business representatives have called on the prime ministers of the three Baltic states to assume responsibility for the project's delays and financing shortfalls. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulebs noted that Latvia alone lacks more than €2 billion even for a minimal version of the line and will not draw the amount from the state budget. He urged a joint Baltic approach in talks with Brussels. The Latvian parliament is also considering expanding the board of the company managing the Latvian portion of the project to improve oversight.

The combined funding extension and political pressure aim to keep the Rail Baltica corridor on track amid concerns about cost overruns and implementation risks.