Actions and timetable
Article 4
1. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland shall ensure the implementation of the following actions for completing the first phase of the Rail Baltica project in a timely manner: (a) as regards the section Tallinn-Pärnu: (i) land acquisition shall be completed by 31 December 2026; (ii) the construction of the railway substructure shall begin by 31 December 2025; (iii) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2028; (b) as regards the section Pärnu-border between Estonia and Latvia: (i) the design of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2026; (ii) land acquisition shall be completed by 31 December 2026; (iii) the construction of the railway substructure shall begin and make sufficient progress by 31 December 2026; (iv) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2028; (c) as regards the section border between Estonia and Latvia-Salaspils: (i) the design of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2026; (ii) land acquisition shall be completed by 30 June 2027; (iii) the construction of the railway substructure shall begin and make sufficient progress by 31 December 2026; (iv) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2029; (d) as regards the section Salaspils-border between Latvia and Lithuania: (i) the design of the railway infrastructure subsystem shall be completed by 31 December 2025; (ii) land acquisition shall be completed by 31 December 2026; (iii) the construction of the railway substructure shall begin and make sufficient progress by 31 December 2025; (iv) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system border shall be completed by mid-2029; (e) as regards the section border between Latvia and Lithuania-Panevėžys: (i) the design of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2027; (ii) the construction of the railway substructure shall begin and make sufficient progress by 31 December 2027; (iii) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be underway by mid-2029; (f) as regards the section Panevėžys-Kaunas: (i) the construction of the railway infrastructure sub-system (railway superstructure) shall begin and make sufficient progress by 31 December 2025 (ii) the construction of the railway substructure shall be completed by 31 December 2028; (iii) the railway infrastructure sub-system (railway superstructure) shall be completed by mid-2029; (g) as regards the section Kaunas-Warszawa (with a connection to Vilnius): (i) land acquisition shall be completed by 31 December 2026, except for the section between Kaunas to Vilnius; (ii) land acquisition shall be completed by 31 December 2027 for the section from Kaunas to Vilnius; (iii) the design of the railway infrastructure sub-system shall be completed by mid-2029 (including the connection to Vilnius); (iv) the railway infrastructure shall be completed by 31 December 2028 from the Lithuanian-Polish border to Marijampole to ensure a connection to the existing railway line consisting of the European standard nominal track gauge of 1 435 mm; (v) the railway infrastructure from Marijampole to Kaunas shall be completed by 31 December 2029; (h) as regards the section Warszawa-border between Lithuania and Poland: (i) the rail infrastructure upgrade works on the section Warszawa-Ełk shall be completed by 31 December 2029; (ii) the section Ełk-border border between Lithuania and Poland shall be completed by 31 December 2030; (i) as regards all sections Tallinn-Pärnu-Salaspils-Misa-Panevėžys-Kaunas-Warszawa: (i) the design for the electrification sub-system shall be completed by 31 December 2027; (ii) the design for the control command and signalling sub-system shall be completed by mid 2028; (iii) installation works for the electrification sub-system shall begin in the first quarter of 2027; (iv) the installation works for the control command and signalling sub-system shall begin in the first quarter of 2028; (v) the railway infrastructure shall be completed as a mix of single- and double-track railway line on double-track embankment for mixed traffic, suitable for minimum 740-m-long freight trains, electrified, in European standard nominal track gauge by 31 December 2030; (vi) the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) shall be deployed to achieve full interoperability, in accordance with Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 3 ) , by 31 December 2030; (vii) dynamic testing shall begin as from 2030. 2. The actions under the second phase of Rail Baltica project consist of the remaining actions that are necessary to ensure that the Rail Baltica line is fully compliant with Regulation (EU) 2024/1679.