Kaur Lass 04.04.2012 ettekande slaidid Tartu Logistikaseminaril "Rail Baltica". Presentation by Kaur Lass at Logistics Seminar 2012 "Rail Baltica", Tartu 04.04.2012 Samal teemal vt artikkel: Rail Baltica is more then just a railroad - The Baltic Times 30.03.2012 http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/30908/

1. Rail Baltica in Spatial Plans – the railroad
as part of a much bigger whole
Kaur Lass
Planning Expert and Leadership Consultant
CEO of OÜ Head
Tartu 04.04.2012

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I have been involved with planning the Rail Baltica in all
levels.
During the international co-operation:
• VASAB 2010 co-operation and Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone
(VBSDZ) co-operation project;
National level:
• National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+;
Local level:
• Comprehensive Plan for Continental Area of Viimsi Municipality and
Comprehensive Plan for Äigrumäe village, Laiaküla village, Metsakasti
village and part of Muuga Village at in Viimsi Municipality;
• Study of Tallinn-Helsinki Railway Tunnel Area in Viimsi Municipality.
My experience is that Rail Baltica in those plan has never been just a
railroad. It has been and is much more...

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Rail Baltica has been handled in plans as:
1993 2020
• a possibility to shorten time distance above all between neighboring
capitals – it creates new possibilities for business, friendship and tourism;
• an infrastructure that will enable us to create more internal co-
operation – it is a driver of change in our small region where we have
shortage of highly qualified workforce;
• an environmental friendly alternative to fast travelling;
• a missing working railway connection between North and South
direction (between Finland, Baltic States and Poland).

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But above all Rail Baltica is the missing land connection
link between Baltic States and central Europe.

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Time is asset
As we are living in the information age time has become the greatest
value together with information. Most successful businesses today
value people. Skillful and successful people value their time.
No matter how we build our roads (highways), they will never shorten the
travel time as much as railroad can. Average traveling speed on road is
always less then 90 km/h in our climate. Average traveling time of Rail
Baltic can be around or even above 200 km/h. That is big difference!
Also the travelers time in train can be used valuably (using computers on
board to work, communicating over phone is allowed and cheap, time
could also be used for relaxing etc).

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Time is asset
Existing
railroads of
Europe with
travel times
and
planned
travel time
of Rail Baltic:
http://www.rbgc.eu/media/
kick_off/kakulis.pdf
http://www.eurail.com/sites/all/files/eurail.com/maps/traveltimes-2012.jpg

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The greatest value of Rail Baltica is connecting people!
… and on from Warsaw to
Europe up to 400 km/h might
Via Pärnu 240 km/h – happen in next 10… 20 years.
is going to be planned
Via Tartu 120 km/h – is ready
Where we want to be
connected?

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The greatest value of Rail Baltica is connecting people!
Where we want to be
connected?
http://www.nordregio.se/en/Maps--Graphs/
04-Economy-trade-and-industry/

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The greatest value of Rail Baltica is connecting people!
Where we want to be
connected?
http://www.nordregio.se/en/Maps--Graphs/
04-Economy-trade-and-industry/

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We have agreed Rail Baltica a long time ago:
VASAB 2010 report* 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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We even had an international co-operation project on
developing the the area as growth corridor:
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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In Estonia we had Rail Baltica in our first National Spatial
Plan Estonia 2010
Estonian valid National Spatial
Plan - Estonia 2010 showed the
. Rail Baltica route
Rail Baltica route directly form
Tallinn to south. There is also
shown a direction towards
Finland (by boat or via tunnel).
The plan also stressed the
importance of railway
development!
Estonia 2010 was approved
by Estonian Government
19. September 2000.

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… and we have it in our new plan! The 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
improving the connectivity of different public transport types in order to
provide better possibilities for economic and social co-operation.
. Rail Baltica route
Map of
transportation

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The Estonian new National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+ also stresses
the importance of good transport connections with the rest of
Europe by land (especially Rail Baltica), sea and air.

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The Estonian new National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+ also points out
that good connections are important both for enabling traveling and
cargo traffic. We also see that Estonia is small, it can be made bigger
only by better and easier connections. Our GDP comes from those who
work, so we need to have good connections within daily work force areas!
Map of the
daily work
force areas

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What is the final step of planning?
Based upon valid Estonian National Spatial Plan - Estonia 2010 three
counties on the route of high-speed railway have stated its possibility
on their county plans:
• Pärnu County;
• Rapla County;
• Harju County.
The route have to be now more exact, so that the railway can be built.
For that Estonia is preparing to start thematic county plan for all
three counties. The purpose of that plan is to decide exact
location of Rail Baltic. Preparations are already ongoing.
After the thematic county plan is valid building permits can be given.

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We should also keep open mind for follow ups.
Viimsi Municipality has carried out a
study for choosing the tunnel area
and planned it. The Comprehensive
Plan for Äigrumäe village, Laiaküla
village, Metsakasti village and part of
Muuga Village in Viimsi Municipality
is now valid and municipality plans to
keep it that way. That enables The Rail Baltica railway
and exact tunnel area .
building tunnel, if needed.
If the tunnel is feasible depends not
only how many people we have
(living and traveling in our region), but
also on what is our living quality and
GDP!

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The aim of planning is: 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

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“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – either way, you
are right.” - Henry Ford
To plan the future only as a extension of the past trends is not wise.
Plans should be orientated on opening new options for us!
Past Future
Planned event
Agreed terms
Present

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How Rail Baltica affects co-operation if built?
• Neighbors “come” closer – new economic, educational as well as
personal relations appear (NB! It takes time to run them in). Those
include easy daily trips to neighboring capitals;
• Tourism becomes easier;
• New logistical opportunities arise;
• We do not need as wide highways (Yes railway is expensive, but
4 lane highway is that as well!) and can improve the safety of
travelers (less cars on the road, trains have less accidents per
travelled km);
• Easy connections to different pubic transport systems would
increase opportunities even more! And the more we have pubic
transport as comfortable and fast option the emissions we emit.
• … and we will have a fast travel option in case of volcano
eruptions! Specially if Poland builds out its high-speed train links
to neighboring countries!

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New possibilities for travelers.
With smaller time-space distance there could be:
• Common work-force areas between Tallinn and Pärnu;
Pärnu and Riga; Riga and Panevezys; Panevezys and
Kaunas; Kaunas and Warsaw. But there could also be more
co-operation between Riga and Tallinn or Riga and Kaunas
etc!
• Much better access to the Europe (specially for those who
are afraid of flying) and therefore more contacts in all fields;
• Tourist would be attracted to stay longer in Baltic States
as it is easy to travel and makes stops on the way;
• More co-operation between schools (exchange of
teachers and students)
• etc.
You would not need to plan a trip weeks ahead, you would
hop on and go and be back home by evening!

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The egg and chicken question?
No users? Or no infrastructure?
Current slow infrastructure = little users.
There can be no users as there is no infrastructure!
There used to be no boats between Tallinn and Helsinki on Soviet era.
We can see that even there was no users, there is now about 8,48
million users per year (divided 360 days = ca 23000 trips per day
included cruise tourists)!

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You do not use the contacts that are hard for you to use, and you
do not travel weekly or daily bases where it is hard to travel.
We need better and faster connections and much more co-
operation. Fact is alone Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga and Kaunas or even
whole Finland, whole Estonia, whole Latvia and whole Lithuania are too
small in scale of world. Unnoticed! So tightening our relations would
give us much better changes.

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Plans alone are not enough!
“Finland” “Estonia” “Latvia” “Lithuania” “Poland”

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Final words:
Common plan and actual respectful co-operation are two most
important aspects – without those nothing happens.
Old Chinese proverb says: “The journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.”
The next step is to the have the plans that allow building of
Rail Baltica in all Baltic States.
Time matters - without EU support and good co-operation we
just end up thinking or talking as we have done already too
long! Only well coordinated action and brings us closer to
travelling with real trains on Rail Baltic.
Thank You!

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OÜ Head
Kaur Lass
phone: +372 50 83 906
skype: headandlead
info@headandlead.com
www.headandlead.ee

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