The management of Eiropas Dzelzcela Linijas (EDzL), the company in charge of the Rail Baltica railroad project in Latvia, will be replaced as Andris Linuzs was relieved of his duties as EDzL head on Monday, Latvian Transport Minister Talis Linkaits said.

Speaking through his spokeswoman Alona Zandere, the minister noted Linuzs's significant contribution to advancing the pan-Baltic project, particularly his work on the design of Riga Airport's railway station.

The EDzL Management Board, which until now only included Linuzs, will be expanded because its capacity has to be increased to ensure the project's national management on both the tactical and strategic levels.

The tactical management will focus on Rail Baltica's practical development and the strategic management will aim at ensuring Latvia's overall compliance with the project's overall schedule and financing terms, the Transport Ministry said.

A tender will be organized shortly to select the members of EDzL's new Management Board. Until then, Kaspars Vingris, director of EDzL's project implementation department, has been appointed the company's acting head.

Rail Baltica, the European gauge railroad project, is being developed to reestablish a direct link between the Baltic states and the European railway network. The project is expected to facilitate regional integration by connecting Helsinki with Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas, Warsaw and Berlin, and potentially also Venice.

The Rail Baltica line, which will run 263 kilometers through Latvian territory, is scheduled for completion in 2026. The project's total costs are estimated at 5.8 billion euros (6.5 billion U.S. dollars).