Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail has entered an enterprise agreement with Esri for the integration of geographic information system (GIS) software across all project units.

The move will help engineers better plan, build and manage maintenance tasks of the 870km Rail Baltica line that will integrate the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the European rail network.

ArcGIS software from Esri will serve as a connection hub. It will store and handle asset data in a unified spatial database.

Furthermore, the system will help in implementing Rail Baltica digital twin, a virtual model of the railway’s entire operational infrastructure.

The geographic approach offered by the new GIS system will enable railway personnel to make required adjustments in near real-time, as well as plan routes with lower environmental impact.

RB Rail Virtual Design and Construction Department head Raitis Bušmanis said: “GIS technology is universal and allows integration of various data formats and easy sharing of information with project partners—for example, to review design data, monitor construction progress, track deadlines, and manage and maintain asset registers.

“We believe that collecting the design and construction data during those stages will have a huge benefit during the operations and maintenance phases, making them more efficient and cost-effective.”

In June this year, RB Rail announced a public procurement for the Rail Baltica energy subsystem design and construction for the complete Rail Baltica line.

The energy subsystem will be installed in a consolidated way from Tallinn to the Lithuania-Poland border and from Kaunas to Vilnius.