The changes are set to take effect during the autumn school holiday, the city government said, starting from Monday, October 21.

The changes to the public transport network aim to enhance connections between Tallinn's districts, and to provide more convenient transfer options, the city government added.

Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said: "Our goal is to make public transport the preferred choice for daily commuting, which is why developing public transport is one of the city government's top priorities."

"In the coming years, we will invest over 100 million euros into public transport to bring new trolleybuses, trams, and buses to our streets," the mayor continued, via a press release.

The transport route changes will be stepped in phases, to allow residents to gradually adapt to the changes.

New transport hubs also need to be created, while the locations of bus stops adjusted in several areas will also be changed.

Ossonivski added that connection speeds will be increased, and new routes will be established, linking the neighborhoods of Tiskre and Õismäe to the west, and Kopli to the north, with the city center.

Links to Tallinn's public transport network will then be extended beyond city limits, to reduce the number of road vehicles coming into the city, the mayor added.

Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa), who holds the transport portfolio, said while the initial proposals for modernizing the public transport network were based on data-driven analysis, resident feedback was also taken into account ahead of the final decisions.

"Nearly 5,000 people shared their opinions, and discussions took place in all districts," he said, noting that some of this feedback has made its way into the route changes.

Some of the main alterations are:

• An airport stop to be added to bus route 13.
• A new route 25 to run between Tiskre and the Old City Harbor's D-Terminal, via Liivalaia (The existing route 22 will be discontinued)
• A rapid express line that will pass through the Järvevana tunnel (route 12).
• Routes 40 and 51 to be merged, creating a new direct connection between Põhja-Tallinn and Lasnamäe, supporting route 35.
• Routes 47 and 54 also to be merged, creating a direct connection between Astangu on the western outskirts of the city, and the city center.

Proposed changes were introduced in all districts of the city, and residents were able to provide feedback via the city's website between September 3-20, which led to some adjustments being made, and a few plans being abandoned.

Around 5,000 comments from residents were received, the city government said.

The renewal of Tallinn's public transport network is an ongoing process that began in the summer of 2023 when nine bus routes were consolidated into four.

More detailed information and schematics for the second phase of public transport network changes can be found here.

The Tallinn route planner site in English is here.

--

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