Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Riina Sikkut (SDE) and Minister of Transport Talis Linkaits met in Estonia's second city and agreed connections between Tartu and Riga should be improved.

"We support the extension of the Riga-Valga passenger train to Tartu, and the city of Tartu, due to its status as a capital of culture, is also requesting funds from the state budget for this purpose. Corresponding financial possibilities will be determined once and for all after the state budget negotiations. It is also an important project for Latvia, which is why they already have close cooperation with Tartu," Sikkut said.

Linkaits said better transport links will promote mobility in the border regions and promote economic cooperation. "At the moment, we are very close to the point at which the train to Tartu will become a reality," he said.

The Latvians are also interested in creating more bus connections between the two countries and improving connections in the southern border towns of Valga and Valka. Sikkut said Estonia will not create any obstacles to this.

The pair agreed completing Rail Baltic as soon as possible is in the interests of both countries. 

They also discussed the proposal of the pan-European transport network (TEN-T) to construct rail tracks at the 1,435 mm gauge. They agreed it would be symbolically important but difficult to achieve in the short term.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!