Elron Passenger Numbers Back on the Rise After Pre-Summer Slump
State-owned commuter rail operator Elron, formerly Elektriraudtee, attracted a third more passengers in November than during the same month of last year but is still lagging in the 11-month comparison.
From January to November, Elron transported 2.09 million passengers, slightly lower than last year's figure of 2.19 million for the same period, the company said today in a press release.
Before the comfortable, new Stadler trains entered service in July, the company carried a fifth fewer passengers compared with the first six months of 2012, but since their introduction, passenger numbers have been on the up.
Elron's CEO, Andrus Ossip, said that besides the attraction of the new trains, shorter travel times and increased frequency have also contributed to the rise.
He said that passenger numbers on the Harju County commuter lines are likely to increase further, as the company will again boost frequency further from January 1.
Not all glamor and glitz
Edelaraudtee, the other passenger rail company in Estonia, has taken the state to court over a number of issues, including the canceling of its contract to carry passengers on intercity lines outside of Harju County and the handing of the new diesel trains that will be used on those lines to Elron without a public procurement.
The state has said it is confident that all passenger trains servicing routes in Estonia will be run by Elron from January 1.