State Auditor: Latvia's Rail Baltic delays will cost Estonia dearly

State Auditor Janar Holm warned that Latvia's failure to keep pace with Rail Baltic construction on schedule will result in significant additional costs for Estonia. Climate Ministry Deputy Secretary Sander Salmu confirmed that Estonia continues railway construction as planned.

State Auditor Janar Holm stressed forcefully that Latvia's delays with the Rail Baltic railway project will not remain solely a neighbour's concern-they will inevitably spill over to Estonia as well, bringing considerable additional costs. According to Holm, this is a situation where Estonia must bear the consequences of other parties' decisions despite proceeding with its own plans on schedule.

Climate Ministry Deputy Secretary Sander Salmu emphasized that Estonia is not experiencing delays in Rail Baltic construction. He added that compared to other major European transport projects, Rail Baltic is progressing well overall, and Estonia has no intention of changing pace.

Rail Baltic is a megaproject connecting the Baltic states to Central European railway networks, with costs running into billions of euros, and the region's entire transport connectivity depends on its completion. The project's ultimate success requires coordinated action from all three countries-Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania-which is why one party falling behind affects the entire chain.