VILNIUS, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The significantly delayed and increasingly expensive European standard gauge Rail Baltica project will not be completed in 2030 as previously planned, and that there is no final deadline for its implementation, the European Court of Auditors has stated, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported.
"And for the Rail Baltica, which was once expected to be completed by 2030, the situation is even more uncertain. Now, 2030 is the envisaged date to complete only a first phase, and therefore, there is no timeline for the full project," Annemie Turtelboom, a member of the European Court of Auditors, told a virtual press conference on Monday.
According to the auditors, the project's costs have ballooned 2.6 times over the past six years to 23.8 billion euros (27.6 billion U.S. dollars), which is almost four times more than the initial estimate.
The problems with Rail Baltica arise from the project's lack of maturity, changes in scope and in project design, which have increased costs, Turtelboom explained.
According to Turtelboom, the goal of completing the construction of the main EU transport network (TEN-T) by 2030 is no longer achievable, and its prospects are deteriorating.
She noted that the total cost of all eight European projects assessed has increased by 24 percent over the past six years, mainly due to the Lyon-Turin rail link and Rail Baltica.
Rail Baltica, a high-speed European-gauge railway, aims to connect the Baltic states with the rest of Europe, the total length of the railway line in the Baltic states will be 870 km. ■
