Regional plans
The Minister of State Administration approved the county plans for Harju, Rapla and Pärnu counties, which aimed to find the most suitable location for the proposed Rail Baltica railway corridors. With the adoption of the county plans in Estonia, this process has now been completed in all the Baltic States. In Latvia, the spatial planning of the entire route was approved by a government decision in 2016, and the Lithuanian government approved the planning of the section between Kaunas and the Lithuanian-Latvian border in Lithuania in January 2017.
“Now all three county plans initiated by the Estonian government have been adopted, planning the Rail Baltica railway line that will cross many municipalities. Work on this can continue,” said Jaak Aab, Minister of State Administration.
All local authorities and people whose properties are affected by the corridor were involved in the planning process. All the views expressed, including those of NGOs, were also listened to and taken into account where possible. A total of 86 public consultations were held in the three regions during the preparation of the regional plans, with 4 214 people taking part.
The plan is the basis for railway design. The construction project then determines the extent of the railway land and the exact need for this land, which is acquired by the Estonian state. Until the plan is implemented, the parcels of land along the railway corridor can continue to be used according to their current land use, i.e. the plan does not immediately restrict the current land use.
More information:
Harju County Planning “Determination of the location of the Rail Baltic railway corridor”
Rapla County Planning “Determination of the location of the Rail Baltic railway corridor”
Pärnu County Planning “Determination of the location of the Rail Baltic railway line corridor”
