Estonia has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030 in relation to EU's climate goals. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the best option to fulfill the objective is investing into the transport sector and in last June, the government announced its plan to electrify the entire rail network in Estonia.

Rebuilding should start in 2022, electrification of the Tallinn-Tartu route should be completed by 2024 and the entire rail network in Estonia by 2028.

The associations of Harju County, Ida-Viru County, Lääne-Viru County, Põlva County, Tartu County, and Valga County local governments, the Jõgeva County Development and Entrepreneurship Center and the Võru County Development Center requested on Wednesday raising the speed limit of passenger trains to 240 km per hour after the railway has been electrified.

AS Eesti Raudtee plans on raising the running speed of trains on the Tallinn-Tartu and Tapa-Narva routes up to 135 kilometres per hour, but local governments say the target should be to be able to increase running speeds to 240 km/h. On Tartu-Valga and Tartu-Koidula routes, local governments propose to raise the running speed to 160 km/h.

The local governments also proposed restoring railway connection on the Haapsalu-Rohuküla route and reconstructing the Valga-Koidula railway section.

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