Draft environmental impact assessment programme completed for the section of the Rail Baltica project from the border of Harjumaa and Raplamaa counties to Hagudi
Commissioned by RB Rail AS, the draft environmental impact assessment programme has been completed for the section of main line from the border of Harjumaa and Raplamaa counties to Hagudi. The environmental impact assessment process will be carried out in parallel with the preparation of the main railway project.
The first step in the environmental impact assessment is the preparation of a programme describing the railway solution to be designed, possible alternatives to the solution, the environment affected, as well as the necessary additional studies and methodology for the environmental impact assessment. According to Roland Müür, Environmental Manager of Rail Baltic Estonia OÜ, the environmental impact assessment is carried out to find the best location and optimal technical solutions for the railway in the planned corridor. “During work, both the natural and human environment will be considered to avoid or minimise the effects of the railway,” Müür added.
The draft environmental impact assessment programme was submitted today to the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, where compliance with the law must be verified and opinions of the relevant authorities sought. After the approval by the authorities, the environmental impact assessment programme will be published along with a public display and discussion.
The programme is expected to be disclosed in autumn 2019. In the meantime, anyone interested can consult the current version of the draft programme available in the Rail Baltica Document Library.