New Station Set to Open, But Not to Passengers
Locals in the southeast are disappointed by the Economics Ministry's decision to delay opening the new Koidula railway station to passenger traffic until next summer.
Besides serving as Estonia's border station for transit from Russia, the station would be a transfer hub connecting a line from Tartu with the Valga line, a historical part of the Riga-Pskov line.
Both lines used to meet at Pechory, formerly an Estonian city now just across the border in Russia. Koidula was built as the new terminus. However, passenger trains now only go as far as Orava from Tartu, and do not operate at all between Valga and Koidula.
"Everyone has been waiting for the extension of passenger train traffic to Koidula for a long time," said Raul Kudre, mayor of Värska municipality, a resort area in Setomaa that lies along a narrow inlet of Estonia's part of Lake Lämmijärv.
Värska is not on the rail line but would benefit from the increased connections, as would Orava municipality to the southwest.
"Naturally our people's train connections with both Tallinn and Tartu would improve," said Orava municipality mayor Ülo Plakso. In the summer, two trains per day go from Tartu to Orava station. That line is in good condition and passes through the town of Põlva.
Võru, three times bigger, sits on the Valga line, however. And there are also a number of other tourism attractions along the Valga-Koidula line, such as the scenically eroded Piusa sand quarry and caves, which drew 3,000 tourists in May alone.
But the rails themselves need work, which officials say there is no point to undertake before 2014 when new trains are introduced. Currently there are sections where the maximum speed is 60 km/h.
Although the new platform at Koidula would be ready to serve passengers in less than a month, Edelaraudtee, the operator, wants 58,000 euros of assistance to extend the Tartu line to Koidula.
Ain Tatter, head of the roads and railways department of the Minstry of Economic Affairs and Communications said a look at this year and net year's budget shows the money cannot be found for either line.
Kudre of Värska says it is "unjustified" for the platform to be idle for a year. "I ask why? Why wait an entire year?" he said.
Kristopher Rikken
