Kõlvart: Rail Baltic is a symbol of Reform Party incompetence

Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart described Rail Baltic as a symbol of Reform Party governance style marked by incompetence, cynicism and irresponsibility. He stressed that the project's cost has grown from the originally planned 3.7 billion euros to 15 billion, and the deadline has been pushed to 2035. According to Kõlvart, Estonia cannot even complete its own part of the project by 2030.

Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart presented a political statement at a council meeting on Tuesday, calling Rail Baltic a clear symbol of the Reform Party's governing style. In his view, the entire project is characterized by incompetence, cynicism and irresponsibility.

Ministers unaware of project status

"No minister, including the Prime Minister, has bothered to understand what the actual status of the Rail Baltic project is, both in Estonia and in neighbouring countries," said Kõlvart. He added that during state budget discussions, no member of the government could specify how much money had been allocated for the project's implementation this year.

Kõlvart recalled that the current government rejected the Center Party's proposal to conduct a risk analysis in case Latvia encounters difficulties in implementing the project. "The coalition claimed that there is only one scenario, and anyone who dares doubt it is spreading Kremlin narratives," he said.

Latvia's PM warns, Estonia ignores

The Center Party leader drew attention to the fact that Latvia's Prime Minister has repeatedly warned that Latvia cannot complete Rail Baltic by 2030. "Estonia's Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge this, as if living in a parallel universe," commented Kõlvart.

He also pointed out that even the Rail Baltic section completed in Estonia cannot meet the country's internal needs. To save on costs, the construction of ten viaducts was abandoned, and only one railway track will be built in the first phase. "This railway does not actually connect different population centres. For example, Häädemeeste station will be 15 kilometres away from Häädemeeste settlement," Kõlvart gave a specific example.

Costs quadrupled

Initially, Rail Baltic's cost was supposed to stay within 3.7 billion euros and the project was to be completed already last year. Today, the figure stands at 15 billion euros and the deadline has been pushed to 2035, with Estonia unable to complete its part of the project by 2030.

"The Prime Minister sees no problem in this, claiming that to accelerate construction the state could allocate an additional 200 million euros annually, raising annual costs from 500 million to 700 million euros. Such irresponsibility characterises the Reform Party's attitude towards Estonian citizens and the country's finances," emphasized Kõlvart.

Parallels with car tax

Kõlvart drew a parallel with the car tax, which in his view was presented with contradictory and unclear arguments and ultimately failed to achieve any of its stated goals. "Car tax revenue was significantly lower than expected, the car market entered crisis and people's living standards deteriorated. However, criticism was met with the argument that the question of how people would cope with the car tax is a third-rate issue," said Kõlvart.