Estonia railway news
News about railway and urban rail infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in Estonia, including the Rail Baltica project.
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In depthBaltic States: Co-operation and competition drive network development
While Rail Baltica moves slowly towards its planned opening in 2030, the national railways in the three Baltic States are continuing to invest in modernising their broad gauge networks and integrating their domestic and international operations into the wider European network, as Vladimir Waldin explains.
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In depthBaltic States: Tight timeline sparks Rail Baltica rethink
Facing increasing pressure on both cost and deliverability grounds, the Rail Baltica project to build a standard gauge spine through the Baltic States is now to be delivered in two phases. Toma Bačić explains.
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News‘Highly complex’ Rail Baltica electrification contract signed
EUROPE: The COBELEC consortium and the Rail Baltica project promoters have ceremonially signed the €1·77bn design and build contract for electrification of the future standard gauge corridor.
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NewsPoland – Lithuania link design included in latest Rail Baltica contract awards
EUROPE: DB Engineering & Consulting is to provide design and supervision services for the 96 km Polish border to Kaunas section of the future Rail Baltica standard gauge railway corridor through the Baltic States.
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NewsEstonia lets more Rail Baltica construction contracts
ESTONIA: Two construction contracts have been signed covering northern sections of the Rail Baltica corridor which will link the Baltic states with Poland.
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NewsVilnius, Riga and Tallinn linked by co-ordinated passenger trains
EUROPE: The national passenger train operators of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have launched co-ordinated services to make it more practical to travel between Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn by rail.
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NewsNew owner seeks to kick-start growth as Estonian rail freight privatisation completed
ESTONIA: New owner Tiigi Keskus plans to expand the activities of privatised rail freight operator Operail, with management board member Richard Tomingas saying ‘at first glance, it seems that we must kick-start container transport’. He predicted that ‘looking to the future, the importance of rail will ...
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn’s trams cruise onto second city crossing
ESTONIA: Commercial operation of Tallinn’s 2·5 km Vanasadam tram route began on the morning of December 1.
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn transport operator targets 50% market share
ESTONIA: The city of Tallinn and tram and bus operator Tallinna Linnatransport have signed a new operating agreement worth up to €1·4bn which includes ambitions to increase public transport’s market share from a third to a half and achieve close to zero CO2 emissions. More than ...
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NewsOperail privatisation agreement signed
ESTONIA: The purchase and sale agreement for the privatisation of national rail freight operator Operail was signed by the RailProject OÜ subsidiary of winning bidder Tiigi Keskus on October 31. The government took the decision to privatise the national rail freight transport and rolling stock maintenance ...
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NewsBest offer for Operail privatisation selected
ESTONIA: Final negotiations for the privatisation of national rail freight operator Operail are now underway with Tallinn-based Tiigi Keskus, which submitted the highest bid. Several potential buyers from Estonia and abroad had qualified for the second step of the privatisation process, which began in June when ...
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NewsEstonian cabinet approves Operail privatisation
ESTONIA: The cabinet has approved Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet’s proposal for the privatisation of national freight operator Operail to progress to the next stage. The two-stage process began in June, when potential buyers had the opportunity to review an initial information package and submit a ...
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NewsElectric train delivery is a complex task
ESTONIA: The delivery of 16 new electric multiple-units from Škoda’s Ostrava factory to Estonian passenger operator Elron’s depot at Pääsküla is being managed by logistics company EWSA, with transport by road from the Czech Republic to Latvia and then by rail with Operail as transport partner ...
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NewsSale of Estonian national rail freight operator gets underway
ESTONIA: The government has formally launched a two-stage process to privatise national rail freight operator Operail. The public auction approved by the cabinet on June 6 will cover Operail’s entire business, including freight operations, rolling stock repairs, all contracts and the brand name. It is being ...
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn takes delivery of Pesa tram
ESTONIA: Tallinn operator TLT has taken delivery of the first of 23 trams which Pesa Bydgoszcz is supplying under a €52m order placed in 2022. The three-section low-floor tram from the Polish manufacturer’s Twist family has six doors and a capacity of up to 184 passengers, ...
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NewsEstonian rail freight operator prepares for privatisation
ESTONIA: A strategy to privatise national rail freight operator Operail was backed by the cabinet on February 15. The government had instructed Operail to prepare plans for a sale last autumn. ‘Rail transport is a volume business where small quantities and short journeys do not pay ...
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NewsLithuanian rail operator pilots ‘competitive green logistics’ in the three Baltic States
EUROPE: Lithuania’s LTG Cargo has operated a pilot freight train through Latvia to Valga, the first station in Estonia. On February 23 CEO Eglė Šimė said LTG Cargo plans to start offering ‘competitive green logistics services’ in the three countries in the near future, as a ...
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NewsOperail Chairman steps down
ESTONIA: Raul Toomsalu has resigned as Chair of the management board of Operail. A successor is to be appointed once the government confirms its future strategy for the state-owned freight operator. ‘My journey in the railway sector has been long and exciting’, Toomsalu said when he ...
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NewsElron EMU production underway
ESTONIA: Representatives from Elron visited the Škoda Group factory at Ostrava in the Czech Republic to see the assembly of the first of 16 electric multiple-units ordered by the passenger operator. ‘Bringing new trains on to the line from 2025 will gradually solve the shortage of ...
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NewsEstonian rail freight operator seeks new opportunities after war slashes traffic
ESTONIA: State-owned freight operator Operail is developing a comprehensive strategy to restore its profitability, having been hit by a 83% reduction in volumes because of the Russian war against Ukraine. The strategy is expected to be finalised by autumn, and the company says that once its ...