The design and construction work carried out by Nordecon AS on one of the biggest infrastructure complexes in Estonia – the new Koidula border railway station in the south-east of the country – has been completed, the site has been transferred to Riigi Kinnisvara AS and the agencies that will operate the station, and trains have been passing through it since early summer. The official opening of the station will take place this Saturday, 3 September.

"It’s always a good feeling to finish something new, and even better if you know you’ve created something special, whether in terms of how big it is, or how complicated the construction process was, or how important a role it will play for society," said Jaano Vink, Chairman of the Management Board of Nordecon AS. "The Koidula border station covers almost a hundred hectares, so it was a real challenge, and it’s been dubbed the ‘project of the century’ in this part of the country for good reason. Design and construction both had to happen to a tight schedule under tough market conditions. We were responsible for most of the work that took place at the site, and now it’s done, and has been handed over to the client."

During the first stage of construction at Koidula, which was completed in 2010, Nordecon quite literally laid the groundwork for the 25 km of railway tracks at the station: the 22 hectares of track beds required a total of 2.2 million cubic metres of earthworks. 18 km of pipeline was also put in place, and 5 km of new roads were constructed in addition to the 1.5 km of existing roads which were reconstructed. Six new bridges were erected and one repaired, and a total of five tracks and 33 culverts were established.

The first stage of construction also saw the installation of a fire-fighting water supply with an independent pumping station. In addition to new pipes, a drinking water pump room with its own water treatment system was constructed, as well as four storm water pump rooms and a brand new biological water treatment plant. An electricity supply system was likewise installed, along with exterior and street lighting and cable, optical and communications utilities (including around 100 telecommunications wells and more than 35 km of cable piping).

In late 2010 Nordecon also took charge of and completed construction of the station buildings at Koidula, which had stalled. The second stage of construction saw the erection of the three biggest buildings in the complex: the three-storey, 3100 m2 station and office building; the 1400 m2 customs and veterinary control building; and the 1000 m2 engine maintenance area. For those buildings whose construction had stalled, only the framework had been completed, with the exception of the station building, which had had some windows and its roof installed. Pathways and squares between the buildings were also constructed, and utilities, passenger platforms and the goods transport platform in the customs building were completed. The Police and Border Guard video security system, which covers the entire site, was also installed.

The total area of development of the Koidula border railway station in Värska and Orava municipalities in Põlva County is almost 100 hectares. It represents the construction of one of the biggest infrastructure complexes in Estonia, at a total cost of almost 70 million euros. The first train to arrive at the station did so on the new Tartu-St. Petersburg line on 26 May this year.

Photos: AS Nordecon

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