The construction work on the Vanasadama tram line, which started in March last year, will be completed by the end of this year, with trams due to begin operating in January 2025, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) told ERR.

When work on the new tram line began however, it had been hoped that trams could start running along it by the end of this summer.

The new tram line will run on the current tram line No. 2, with the new route being Kopli – Balti jaam (Baltic Station) – Vanasadama (Old Harbor ) – Uus - Paala.

Once the construction of the Rail Baltica terminal is finally completed, tram No. 2 will run to Tallinn Airport. This is expected to happen in January 2026, one year after the launch of the new tram line. In order to allow more trams to reach the airport in the future, Tallinn will build a new tramway section there.

Changes are also planned for tram line No. 2 in the future. Once the Pelguranna tram line is completed, most likely in 2029, it will be the No 2. that goes from there to the airport, Järvan said.

For a long time, the construction of the Old Harbor tram line was expected to cost €46 million, €36.5 million was provided to the City of Tallinn by the EU. However , it has recently emerged that the construction of the line will cost an additional €6.6 million more and that the city will have to find the funds from its own budget.

Kopli and Tondi trams to start running again in August

Several tram lines in Tallinn will continue to run along shortened routes or not operate at all for this summer due to construction work on the Old Harbor line and the Tondi overpass. In August, those trams will return to their regular routes.

Lines 3 and 4 should start running to the Tondi terminus as early as the beginning of August, Järvan said. At the moment, these lines run to Vana-Lõuna.

From August 19, the trams in Kopli should resume along their regular routes, with tram No. 1 running from Kopli to Kadriorg and tram No. 5 running between Kopli and Vana-Lõuna.

Liivalaia and Pelgulinna trams to start operating in 2029

According to Järvan, Tallinn City Government's attitude towards trams has not changed despite the change of power, and they remain a priority. This means that plans for both the Liivalaia and Pelgulinna tram lines will go ahead.

"We have the funding decisions in place for Liivalaia and we now have a route for the Pelguranna tram in place. Both are expected to be ready in October 2029, and we are now continuing with the design process," Järvan said.

The design and construction process for the new tram lines is actually quite fast, as Tallinn will also receive EU funding for them, and therefore they need to be ready by the fall of 2029.

"It seems like there is time, but in fact it is quite quick, because for example, it took about five and a half years from the design of the Old Harbor tram line to the end of its construction. It's very fast and that's definitely where we're putting the focus," Järvan said.

New trams will also be needed to serve these new lines. Tallinn has ordered 23 new trams from the Polish PESA factory, of which two have arrived in Estonia so far. According to Järvan, nine more trams will arrive in Tallinn this year. "As soon as they are completed, they will be sent to Estonia one by one," he said.

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