The European Commission will terminate funding for bridge piers across the Daugava, although Latvia intends to develop a new technically and financially viable design for the combined road and rail crossing
The Latvian government has reviewed an informational report from the Ministry of Transport providing for the return of a €25.776 million advance to the European Commission. The money had been allocated to the construction of a combined road and railway bridge across the Daugava River near Salaspils.
The European Commission is expected to terminate the project’s grant agreement under the Military Mobility envelope of the Connecting Europe Facility. The total EU contribution was valued at €51.5 million, with Latvia having received approximately half of that amount as an advance payment.
The funding was intended to finance the construction of eight bridge piers. Following the termination of the agreement, Latvia must return the €25.776 million advance to the EU budget, according to CFTS and Latvian media reports.
The national co-financing and pre-financing approved by the Latvian Cabinet on September 12, 2023, will consequently no longer be required in their original form.
Returning the European advance does not mean that the Daugava crossing has been permanently cancelled. The government has supported the development of a new design for a combined road and rail bridge aligned with the current priorities of Rail Baltica and the funding available to Latvia.
The Ministry of Transport will work with state road company Latvijas valsts ceļi to identify an alternative technical solution. The authorities aim to keep the bridge within the Rail Baltica main line while reducing the project’s financial and engineering risks.
The government has also suspended the acquisition of property required in the planned bridge area until decisions on optimization are adopted. The measure should prevent additional expenditure before the configuration, construction stages and financing of the revised project are determined.
Transport Ministry State Secretary Andulis Židkovs said Latvia is currently concentrating on solutions that would allow the Rail Baltica main line to be built and become fully operational through the most efficient use of available resources.
The crossing near Salaspils is planned as part of the Latvian section of Rail Baltica and is expected to combine road and railway infrastructure. Rail Baltica is designed to integrate Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia into the wider European railway network, supporting both passenger services and freight transport on European-standard gauge tracks.
The bridge also has strategic relevance for military mobility because the terminated European grant supported dual-use infrastructure. CEF Military Mobility funding is intended for transport assets that can serve commercial logistics while also facilitating the movement of military equipment and supplies.
Redesigning the bridge may affect the sequencing of construction on the Latvian section of Rail Baltica. However, the authorities have not yet announced the cost, funding sources or implementation schedule for the revised structure. The decision therefore represents the end of the previous financing and engineering model rather than the definitive cancellation of the crossing.
As K2Cargo.News previously reported, major railway projects are increasingly being implemented in stages and remain highly dependent on the availability of national and international financing.
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