RB Rail AS, Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ and SIA “Eiropas Dzelzceļa līnijas” have signed a joint venture agreement with the consortium comprising DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, RENFE and INECO for a shadow operator service for Rail Baltica Global Project. 

Under a long-haul consultancy contract, the shadow operator will provide the following services for Rail Baltica:

• consult on the design, operation, and maintenance of railway infrastructure;
• create a model for the organization, operation, and maintenance of railway facilities;
• analyze the demand for transport;
• update the railroad operation plan.

The contract will be valid for 6 years with the possibility of extension. The amount of the agreement is EUR8 million (US$8.01 million). 

Rail Baltica Global Project is an 870-km railway infrastructure project that aims to integrate the Baltic States into the European rail network. The project is funded by the governments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with co-funding from the EU - up to 85% of the total eligible costs under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding instrument.