Kaur Lass presentation at: “Rail Baltica – current development and business perspectives”. The conference that took place on March 24 in Riga. See more: http://www.sseriga.edu.lv/RailBaltica

1. Planning of Rail Baltica in Estonia:
Rail Baltica as a part of long term vision for
Tallinn-Helsinki co-operation
Kaur Lass
Spatial Planning Expert
CEO of OÜ Head
Riga 24.03.2011
www.headandlead.com

2. My involvement with Rail Baltica topic has been through: 2
• VASAB 2010 co-operation by consulting Latvian ministry during vision
seminar and having practice in the secretariat while it was in Sweden;
• Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone co-operation (VBSDZ) as
consultant of Estonian partner;
• National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+ as project manager;
• Comprehensive Plan for Continental Area of Viimsi Municipality as
project manager;
• Comprehensive Plan for Äigrumäe village, Laiaküla village, Metsakasti
village and part of Muuga Village at in Viimsi Municipality as project
manager for the plan as well as for the Study of Tallinn-Helsinki Railway
Tunnel Area in Viimsi Municipality prior to that.
I have been working as planning expert for more then 16 years and
followed the development on that them closely also due to some other
projects that have had indirect connection with the topic.
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3. There are many visions of Rail Baltica: 3
From Berlin to Helsinki more then 250 km/h
Via Pärnu 160 km/h
Foto: Rene Suurkaev
Via Tartu 120 km/h
… but the point is to
connect people.
To where we want to be
connected?
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4. The reality is that we are not connected to Europe by train: 4
Estonia needs to be
connected to Europe even
when plains do not fly!
If want to be connected?
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5. Estonia’s new Spatial Development Vision: 5
The Spatial Vision of Estonian new National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+
focuses on reducing the space-time distances between major cities
by means of improved rail connections as well as by guaranteeing
better connectivity of different public transport types in order to provide
better possibilities for economic and social co-operation. The Spatial
Vision also stresses the importance of good transport connections
with the rest of Europe by land, sea and air.
1993 2020
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6. Aim of planning is: 6
To agree the terms for the planned event based on the vision.
To reach the desired future we have to make constantly decisions on
the same direction. Specially in case of bigger infrastructure objects.
Past Future
Planned event
Agreed terms
Present
Illustration by: Kaur Lass and Ingvar Villido 2006
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7. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 7
I will present you a short case study on
how the vision of Rail Baltica in VASAB
2010 documents has had influence on
planning documents in Estonia.
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8. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 8
I will illustrate on that based upon:
• VASAB 2010 co-operation;
• Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone
co-operation (VBSDZ);
• Estonian National Spatial Plans -
Estonia 2010 and Estonia 2030+;
FIN
• Pärnu, Rapla and Harju County Plans
• Comprehensive Plan for Continental
Area of Viimsi Municipality;
EST
• Comprehensive Plan for Äigrumäe
LV
village, Laiaküla village, Metsakasti
village and part of Muuga Village at in LT
Viimsi Municipality.
PL
GER
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9. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 9
VASAB 2010 stated:
Improved railway transportation system
shall provide connections for long
distances among “European” and “Baltic
cities”. This includes high-speed long-
distance passenger trains along
selected corridors which interlink with
the corresponding network for Western
Europe via Berlin and Hamburg.
Main high-speed railway lines 2010
and beyond:
4. Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warsaw-Berlin-
Hamburg.
VASAB 2010 Towards a Framework for Spatial Development in the
Baltic Sea Region (Tallinn Conference), 1994, see page 59
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10. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 10
Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone
Summary Report stated that following
Strategy and Actions are needed:
Objective
D.1.1. Fast international railway access
to Central Europe
Action
D.1.1.1 To develop Rail Baltica as an
high-speed railway Helsinki-Berlin (train
ferry Helsinki-Tallinn, Helsinki-Tallinn
tunnel
Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone Summary Report 2000, Riga
2000, see page 95
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11. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 11
Estonian valid National Spatial
Plan - Estonia 2010 has chosen
. Rail Baltica route
the direction for high-speed
railway to Europe.
The railway route goes form
Tallinn directly to south and
passes Pärnu. There is also
shown a direction towards
Finland (possibly via tunnel).
Estonia 2010 is approved
by Estonian Government
19. September 2000.
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12. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 12
Estonian new National Spatial Plan - Estonia 2030+ has been started by
the Government of Estonia in February 4th 2010.
In the draft of plan is stressed the importance to have a direct fast rail
route form Tallinn towards Riga as well as keeping open the possibility
to connect Rail Baltica high-speed train via tunnel to Helsinki and from
there to St Petersburg.
www.eesti2030.ee
Rail Baltica route
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13. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 13
. Rail Baltica and
Based upon valid Estonian National a tunnel to
Spatial Plan - Estonia 2010 three Helsinki
counties on the route of high-speed
railway have fixed its location or stated
its importance and shown possible route
options on their county plans:
Pärnu County;
Rapla County;
Harju County.
Although Harju County Plan was adopted
19.04.1999, before Estonia 2010, there
has been chosen the Tallinn – Helsinki
high-speed railway location and shown
the routes towards it.
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14. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 14
Based upon Harju
County Plan Viimsi
Municipality was
forced by County
Governor to keep an
area open for Tallinn . The Rail Baltica
– Helsinki high-speed the tunnel area
railway tunnel in the
Comprehensive Plan
for Continental Area
of Viimsi Municipality.
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15. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 15
According to the old Planning and Building Act and also according to
the new Planning Act (valid from 01.01.2003) in Estonia the approved
National Spatial Plan (Estonia 2010 and in future Estonia 2030+) is
the base for county plans.
County plans act according the law as a base for comprehensive
plans and comprehensive plans again to detail land use plan. Land
use plans are a base for project. Project is base for building. So the
planning affect the land use possibilities and land price.
Even officially in Estonia there is no state level binding decision
that the high-speed railway should be built, state planning
guidelines, valid plans and planning practice stress it as priority.
Until now the accurate railway route in the whole country is not
selected. This causes problems in local planning level.
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16. How has the vision to built Rail Baltica been handled in plans? 16
Viimsi Municipality was therefore
forced to carry out a study for
choosing the tunnel area and start
more precise plan for it. The
Comprehensive Plan for Äigrumäe
village, Laiaküla village, Metsakasti
village and part of Muuga Village in
Viimsi Municipality is already The Rail Baltica railway
and exact tunnel area .
prepared. It is in the final stage, it has
got all the official approvals and been
on public display. During the public
display it got several disapproving
statements form land owners. Harju
County Governor has given his
opinions about the dispute and the
plan will become valid in April 2011.
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17. To summarize the case study: 17
Vision of VASAB 2010 has effected
according the demonstrated case Estonia
so, that it made local governments
responsible on selecting the actual
location of railway and taking it’s
existence into account. Estonia is taking
the Rail Baltica vision into account while
making spatial plans.
So we depend on Latvia a lot. We hope
that Latvia is also understanding the
importance to be connected by train to
Europe. It is only alternative of fast travel
when you can’t fly or do not like to fly.
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18. How Rail Baltica affects co-operation if built? 18
It brings new co-operation possibilities if the train ride from Tallinn
to Riga would be reduced to an hour and from Helsinki to Tallinn to
30-45 minutes. Right now we have separate economies, lack of
highly qualified work force, hard access to each others market
and so on. But within EU with the small time distances the reality
could be different. Estonia has no plans to be open for migration and
our population is getting older and smaller. If we want to keep our
living quality and be noticed in the world we need to be accessible. By
air, by sea but also by land. Rail Baltica might have hard time to
compete with plains in longer distances, but it brings new
possibilities in shorter distances. Specially if we in Estonia manage
to fulfill our vision and connect public transport to train stations. And it
secures lives (less accidents on the road) and reduces air pollution as
well…
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19. How Rail Baltica affects co-operation if built? 19
For example there have been long discussions about the twin town
of Helsinki and Tallinn – so called Talslinki. But time distance is still
too big. Even we are all in EU, time of travel separates us.
With smaller time-space distance there could be:
• Common work-force area if time for daily travel is reduced;
• Better access to the world and therefore more contacts in all fields;
• Availability of wider range of services;
• Tourist would be attracted to stay longer in the area;
• More co-operation of schools, etc.
But there could also be more co-operation between Riga and Tallinn!
You would not need to plan a trip you would hop on and go if needed.
Main point is: Alone Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga are small. Unnoticed
in scale of the world. Together we would have better changes.
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20. How Rail Baltica affects co-operation if built? 20
Rail Baltica is not only traveling from Helsinki to Berlin. It is about better
connections, co-operation and more effective use of time for shorter
daily travels between capitals.
The problem – there is no users as there is no infrastructure that
allows traveling will remain until big time-space distance is
existing.
Question is: Which comes first – contacts or possibility to travel?
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21. Final summary - common vision is most important 21
We need to understand same ideas the
same way. In case or Rail Baltica this is
extremely important.
Philosopher Bob Proctor has said:
“Whatever you’re thinking
about you will attract.”
So let’s attract the same vision! In
practice we need to speak about it, plan
the rail route together as well as take small
actions day-by-day. Old Chinese proverb
says: “The journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.”
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22. 22
OÜ Head
Kaur Lass
phone: +372 50 83 906
skype: headandlead
info@headandlead.com
www.headandlead.ee
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23. 23
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