Starting December 1, Federico Antoniacci (Federico Antoniazzi) – a high-speed railway infrastructure expert appointed by the French government – will join the Rail Baltica project management team at the Ministry of Transport.
The French expert will help to:
- Address design delays.
- Develop new financing and public-private partnership (PPP) models.
- Ensure compliance with European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and NATO requirements.
- Strengthen institutional coordination in Latvia.
Federico Antoniacci is a railway engineer and transport economist with a PhD and extensive experience in major infrastructure projects in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He has contributed to flagship high-speed rail initiatives, such as the Tours–Bordeaux line (France) and the Lyon–Turin link (France–Italy), and has also worked at the World Bank, tackling complex political and institutional challenges.
“We are grateful to the French government for its support and for appointing an experienced high-speed rail expert to contribute to the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Latvia. The extensive experience of Federico Antoniacci in supporting companies and organizations in the fields of transport economics and engineering will be especially valuable in addressing the current challenges of the Rail Baltica project. I wish him strength, determination, and success!” emphasized Deputy State Secretary Kristīne Pudiste.
France’s involvement in the Rail Baltica project is already significant:
- French companies Eiffage, Bouygues, Egis, Systra, Certifer, and others have secured contracts worth more than EUR 4.63 billion.
- These companies are engaged in the construction of the mainline in Latvia, signalling systems, safety certification, and now – together with VINCI – also in the electrification of the mainline.
With the addition of Federico Antoniacci, French experts will be even more widely involved, strengthening cooperation across all key areas of the Rail Baltica project – from construction to safety and innovation.
The French expert has been assigned to the Ministry of Transport for two years under the International Technical Experts Programme of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with his remuneration fully covered by the French government.
Welcome to the team!