Construction of the Rail Baltica high-speed railway line is progressing in Lithuania. The works have just been successfully completed on the section Žeimiai‒Šėta, Jonava district, in the construction of local access roads and drainage systems.

The works were executed by one of the largest road construction companies in Latvia, AS “A.C.B.”, whose offer was recognized the winning in the public procurement procedure. Construction works started in April 2023 and the contract price at the end of the project reached 7.7 million euros (excluding VAT).

As part of the contract, AS “A.C.B.” executed the construction of 13 local access roads with the length of 13.7 km, as well as built extensive drainage systems, including the construction of drainage networks and culverts. In locations where it has not been possible to build separate roads for the maintenance of railway infrastructure elements, access road exits have been created.

“We are proud to be the first Latvian company to successfully complete a Rail Baltica construction project in the Baltic States. Over 100 workers and 60 units of machinery were involved during the most active times in construction of 13 roads. About 100,000 m³ of soil were excavated and 85,000 m³ of embankment were built. Extensive drainage works were carried out with over than 27 km of melioration pipes installed across the area exceeding 5 million m². Our previous experience in large-scale projects, such as the reconstruction of Vilnius and Palanga Airports infrastructure, has prepared us well for challenging projects as the one just built. We are proud to have contributed to this significant project, providing our expertise in delivering complex infrastructure solutions. Our sincere gratitude goes to all our partners for their cooperation and support in successfully delivering this project to our client LTG Infra,” highlighted Anna Priščepa, Board Member of AS “A.C.B.”.

The construction sites spanned a considerable distance of 17.7 km apart and were simultaneously carried out in multiple locations. To monitor progress, advanced techniques such as 3D modeling, drone and laser scanning of ground surfaces, and weekly drone footage were employed. The highest BIM (Building Information Modeling) level 500 and strict environmental requirements were followed during construction.

“Throughout the construction, we actively engaged with the local community by relocating some entrance roads to locations convenient for farmers, thereby addressing their needs. We also coordinated the construction works to ensure that residents had access to their properties. New drainage systems, which are crucial for the quality of new railway infrastructure and structures, have been built, and the piping system has been upgraded to modern standards. The reconstructed network will not only ensure efficient removal of allowing accumulated water from cultivated fields, but the long-term durability of the newly constructed infrastructure as well,” stated Vytis Žalimas, CEO of LTG Infra.

The local roads will be temporarily maintained by the railway infrastructure manager, LTG Infra, before being transferred to the Jonava District Municipality. The primary purpose of access roads is to ensure access to the new railway infrastructure for the maintenance purposes, as well as to ensure efficient transport links for the local population.

As it was announced last year, at the beginning of March 2023, the companies AS “A.C.B.” and AB LTG Infra, which is the national implementing body of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, signed a contract for 7.1 million euros (excluding VAT). In Lithuania, the construction works of the ambitious Rail Baltica project are announced in several procurements, dividing the construction of the main line and the applicable infrastructure into sections of about 5 to 30 km long. The Latvian company, participating in one of the sections, won the public procurement procedure for the construction of Rail Baltica access roads in section Žeimiai-Šėta.

Latvian company AS “A.C.B.” has previously executed ambitious and complex infrastructure construction projects in Lithuania, proving its competence, professionalism and work discipline in the construction works of both Vilnius and Palanga airports.

Rail Baltica is the largest railway infrastructure project in the history of the Baltic States, during the implementation of which an electrified European-standard two-track railway will be built, connecting Warsaw, Kaunas, Vilnius, Panevėžys, Riga, Parnu and Tallinn. The total length of the Rail Baltic railway line in the Baltic States is 870 km: 392 km in Lithuania, 265 km in Latvia, and 213 km in Estonia.