Tallinn to invest €100 million in public transport
Over the next four years, Tallinn will buy new trolleys, gas buses and trams and update Liivalaia and Lauteri streets. It also plans to extend the tramline to Kristiine.
On Tuesday, the Tallinn City Government approved Tallinn's budget strategy for 2025-2028. The capital plans to invest ambitiously and heavily, despite the more difficult financial conditions, said Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE).
One of the priorities is public transport €100 million will be invested to acquire new rolling stock, the mayor said. The trolleybus fleet will be replaced and new gas buses and trams bought.
One of the city's priorities for road development is the reconstruction of Liivalaia and Suur Amerika which will include a tramline that ends at the Kristiine intersection.
A new transfer center will then be built at Kristiine where trains, trams, trolleybuses, city line buses and county line buses will meet.
The project will be funded by €40 million worth of European Union funding allocated by the state. One of the conditions is that the objects must be ready by 2029.
Ossinovski said the budget strategy prioritizes road projects financed by the European Union so they can be completed by the required deadline.
The reconstruction of Peterburi tee is another priority for the council. Work starts this autumn and has been split into stages. "This is the project of the century in the sense that this road has lasted almost a century to date," Ossinovski said.
The shelved "main street project", which would modernize the city center and Pärnu maantee and Narva maantee, is also included in the strategy. Ossinovski said design work will start next year and construction should start when the reconstruction of Liivalaia has been completed in 2029.
A new plan in the strategy is Lauteri tänav. Ossinovski said network providers are planning extensive reconstruction works on Lauteri tänav which can be combined with road repair works.
New kindergartens and schools will also be built or renovated in the coming years.
Westholm High School will receive new buildings, and new elementary schools will be built on Martsa tänav in Lasnamäe and another in Kesklinn.
Three new kindergartens will be built in Põhja Tallinn (Manufaktuuri), Kristiine (Hipodroom) and Pirita (Lepiku tee 18).
Tallinn's budget strategy will now be sent to the city council for discussion and approval.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Helen Wright
