It is incorrect to call the [planned] railway connection from Tallinn through Haapsalu to the Rohuküla harbor the "Haapsalu railway," as it has a much broader significance, said Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE).

"It would be more accurate to refer to it as the Läänemaa (Lääne County) railway or the Hiiumaa railway. Considering that this railway will eventually lead to Rohuküla, it will introduce a completely new dimension to public transport between the mainland and Hiiumaa," Svet said.

Svet recalled that when the coalition agreement between the three parties was made in 2023, the construction of the Läänemaa railway was not included. When the coalition agreement was updated in the summer, the focus was primarily on budget cuts.

According to Svet, building this railway is part of the country's mobility or public transport reform.

"My colleague, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman (SDE), is expected to bring this to the government soon. Once we approve it, we will need to start looking for answers to the question of where to find the missing funds," Svet said.

He noted that building a railway is an expensive endeavor. "We know that all necessary preparations have been made for the Rohuküla line, from conducting a feasibility study and project design to clearing the route from Turba to Risti, where the railway should run," Svet said. The cost of the Turba-Risti section alone is approximately €34 million, according to Svet.

"Currently, there is no financial backing for this project. I believe that once the mobility reform is adopted, we should revisit this issue," Svet added.

The Estonian state has already allocated €2 million to launch train services between Tartu and Riga.

"That agreement was reached during the last budget negotiations. I fully support starting this service. We know there is demand on both sides of the border. Both the Läänemaa railway and the Tartu-Riga connection are important because the railway is the backbone of our public transport, and we see that rail is essentially the only mode of public transport at the regional level that can somehow compete with private cars," said Svet.

"Considering that the annual cost of the Tartu-Riga train is expected to be at most €2 million, while building just the Turba-Risti section will cost at least €34 million, these sums are not comparable. However, Estonia must address both projects," Svet explained.

In the spring, Rein Riisalu, director of the Läänemaa Railway Program Foundation, stated that the funding for the Läänemaa railway is a government decision. In a recent interview with local paper Lääne Elu, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) expressed support for the railway connection but noted that Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet should lead the debate on the Haapsalu railway. However, Michal acknowledged that given the current difficult financial situation, it would be hard for the state to find funds for the Haapsalu railway.

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