{"id":1431,"date":"2025-10-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/euroopa-investeerimispank-toetab-eesti-raudteetaristu-uuendamist-45-miljoni-euro-suuruse-laenuga\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T15:30:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T13:30:41","slug":"euroopa-investeerimispank-toetab-eesti-raudteetaristu-uuendamist-45-miljoni-euro-suuruse-laenuga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/euroopa-investeerimispank-toetab-eesti-raudteetaristu-uuendamist-45-miljoni-euro-suuruse-laenuga\/","title":{"rendered":"Estonia to upgrade rail infrastructure with \u20ac45 million EIB loan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>EIB lends \u20ac45 million to help build sections of Estonia\u2019s electrified rail network<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loan to Estonian railway infrastructure manager Eesti Raudtee is to support countrywide upgrades to network<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Project to make passenger and freight services in Estonia faster, cleaner and safer<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Estonian national railway infrastructure manager AS Eesti Raudtee have signed a \u20ac45 million loan agreement to accelerate the country\u2019s transition to sustainable transport. The company will use the EIB financing to upgrade the rail network and the associated infrastructure, increasing the share of the country\u2019s rail network powered by electricity at the expense of existing diesel traction. This shift will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The planned works, which cover key sections of Estonia\u2019s rail network, will also improve the safety and punctuality of train services and develop a transport management system that complies with European Union requirements. The upgrades are due to be completed by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis investment is a strategic boost for Estonia\u2019s rail infrastructure, making transport faster, cleaner, safer and more efficient,\u201d said EIB Vice-President&nbsp;<strong>Karl Nehammer<\/strong>, who took office on 1 September 2025 and is responsible for operations in Estonia. \u201cThe loan agreement with Eesti Raudtee reflects how EIB financing drives climate action, strengthens regional connectivity and supports long-term resilience in cohesion regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project will improve rail connectivity for passengers across Estonia and green freight transport in the country. In addition to reducing emissions and bolstering safety, it will cut noise pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project is part of a key EU transport route known as the North Sea\u2013Baltic TEN-T Corridor. It supports regional development and EU climate goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have launched a very ambitious investment plan until 2030, which will take the quality and safety of our railways to a new level and help make rail transport even more environmentally friendly,\u201d said&nbsp;<strong>Kaido Zimmermann<\/strong>, chairman of the Management Board of Eesti Raudtee. \u201cThe EIB has been a good partner in achieving this goal and the new loan agreement will help us implement these plans even better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The electrification of the final section near Tallinn \u2014 supported by the EIB loan \u2014 will enable Eesti Raudtee to complete its national electrification programme. Once finished, a total of 600 kilometres of railway, representing 50% of the network, will be electrified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EIB financing complements EU and national grants and offers flexible terms to accelerate implementation. It builds on a \u20ac113.5 million EIB loan signed in 2020, bringing the bank\u2019s total support for Estonia\u2019s railway modernisation to nearly \u20ac160 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eib.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>European Investment Bank (ElB)<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eib.org\/en\/about\/at-a-glance\/eib-core-strategic-priorities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eight core priorities<\/a>, the EIB finances investments that contribute to EU&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eib.org\/en\/about\/at-a-glance\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">policy objectives<\/a>&nbsp;by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.&nbsp; The EIB Group, which also includes the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eif.org\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">European Investment Fund (EIF)<\/a>, signed nearly \u20ac89&nbsp;billion in new financing for over 900&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eib.org\/en\/about\/key-figures\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-impact projects<\/a>&nbsp;in 2024, boosting Europe\u2019s competitiveness and security. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past five years, the EIB has invested around \u20ac1.4 billion in Estonia, supporting transport, infrastructure, and technology. In 2024, nearly \u20ac500 million was committed to new projects, including green tech startup UP Catalyst and government loans. This year, the Bank backed clean energy again with support for Sunly\u2019s Risti solar park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways Ltd)&nbsp;<\/strong>is a state-owned company operating since 1870 that ensures smooth operation, management and maintenance of the railway infrastructure and efficient traffic management. As the owner of the railway infrastructure, Estonian Railways Ltd holds a central role in functioning of the transit sector and responsibility for maintaining a functioning competitive situation both in passenger and cargo transport. The company develops and maintains 1186 km of railroad, 61 stations and 135 railway platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.evr.ee\/en\/news\/3450-estonia-to-upgrade-rail-infrastructure-with-eur45-million-eib-loan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.evr.ee\/en\/news\/3450-estonia-to-upgrade-rail-infrastructure-with-eur45-million-eib-loan<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Estonian national railway infrastructure manager AS Eesti Raudtee have signed a \u20ac45 million loan agreement to accelerate the country\u2019s transition to sustainable transport. The company will use the EIB financing to upgrade the rail network and the associated infrastructure, increasing the share of the country\u2019s rail network powered by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1431"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1433,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/logisticsports.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}