The detail plan for the Ülemiste terminal is currently being drawn up and the plan is to approve it by the end of the ongoing year. Establishing the plan should take place in spring next year, Rail Baltic Estonia spokesperson Priit Pruul told ERR on Friday.

The Audit Office reported in mid-October that land acquisition for the international railroad project is five years behind schedule in Estonia and only a quarter of the land needed has been acquired by the state so far. The delay has not affected the development of the terminal and construction is set to begin in the summer of 2022, Pruul said.

The first constructions stages have to do with the terminal's main square, underground communications, a tramline and the reconstruction of the railroad. As of the currently available plans, the terminal is to be completed by 2026.

Fate of Tallinn Bus Station still unclear

The explanatory referendum for the terminal's detail plan states that there is an international bus station to be constructed on the property. Tallinn Bus Station CEO Airika Aruksaar told ERR in June that she does not see the station moving to Ülemiste. In addition, the bus station is expected to receive a redesign in the upcoming years.

Pruul said the detail plan sees the option of a llong-distance bus station next to the train terminal. "The bus station will not be constructed completely as of the current plans, there will be six stops for long-distance, local and city transport buses and a separate parking area," the spokesperson said.

The building's construction will be based on a winning entry from last year's architectural design competitive process, from Zaha Hadid Architects of London, together with Estonian firm Esplan OÜ.

The terminal building will be located on both sides of the existing railroad and will have a bridge over the tracks. The northern and southern parts of the building will also be connected via underground tunnel.

"An important part of the terminal will be the connection to Peterburi tee and the representative public urban space, which gives the terminal useful and representative entrances, gives it visibility and discoverability, creates the necessary dispersal and meeting areas and ties the entire region into one urban space and logistical whole," the detail plan's referendum reads.

There is a public space planned in the terminal building under and on both sides of the railroad, including pedestrian squares and plazas. The northern and southern squares will be connected via an 80-meter tunnel, which is part of the Europe square.

The pedestrian path are is in the plans to go from Ülemiste to the airport. In addition, there is a tunnel to connect the terminal to the T1 Mall of Tallinn and Ülemiste shopping mall. One tunnel will also connect the terminal to the street network of Ülemiste City.

There is also a nine-story office building planned on the property. The development will also see two new streets opened.

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