9,944
Number of large-draft traffic through the Panama Canal in fiscal year 2024
Source: Panama Canal Authority
Rail Baltica, a multinational effort to integrate the Baltic Sea nations into the European rail network, is showing progress in several places along its 870 km route. Jointly financed by individual countries and the European Union, the electrified double-track railway will allow a train speed of 249 kilometers per hour, the Rail Baltica website says.
Since design began in 2016, around 300 companies based in the Baltic and EU nations have been contracted to the project. In Lithuania, which will contain almost half of Rail Baltica’s main line, several contractors are working on new tracks and structures, including a 1.51 km, 40 m high bridge over the River Neris built by Italian contractor Rizzani by Eccher. LTG Infra, the state-owned company overseeing the implementation of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, plans to complete another 114 km by 2025.
Earlier this year, the joint venture ERB Rail, formed by Budimex SA (Poland), Eiffage Génie Civil SAS (France) and Rizzani de Eccher SpA (Italy), inaugurated the 220 km Latvian section. The $3.9 billion effort includes 175 structures and 11 wildlife crossings, with initial work in the Bauska region, where a maintenance center will be located. An estimated $595 million multi-year expansion and modernization program is underway for the capital’s historic Riga Central Station.
Estonia selected five consortia for the design and construction of its 213 km main section. The country plans to award two contracts totaling nearly $1 billion in the first half of 2025. After falling at least five years behind its original schedule due to routing disputes and funding issues, Rail Baltica has with the goal of full operation by 2030.
