The Ministry of Climate meanwhile said a plan is underway to find an operator for that local line, meaning the Tallinn-Pärnu stretch.

The transport ministers of the three Baltic states early this month discussed the idea of opening Rail Baltica section-by-section, as each segment gets completed.

On Sunday, Minister Svet addressed his Baltic colleagues emphasizing Estonia's support for this approach.

"For Estonia, this would involve bringing the Tallinn-Pärnu line into operation in 2028 or 2029," Svet wrote.

Up to now, developers of the Estonian portion of Rail Baltica had proposed the Tallinn-Pärnu rail service would start in 2030.

Keit Kasemets, secretary general at the Ministry of Climate, told ERR that this new target is "ambitious," but achievable.

"Confidence has been given as the work is currently on schedule, and a significant portion of the funding has been secured," Kasemets said, adding that over 100 kilometers of the route will be covered by construction contracts soon.

"We are moving ahead quite quickly with the rail line's construction," he continued.

Rail Baltic Estonia board chair Anvar Salomets has also said that completing the Tallinn-Pärnu section by 2029 at least is technically feasible.

As for 2028, Salomets said that may also be viable, but added that testing needs to take place between the construction of the line, and it coming into operation. "This is the phase where there will be some potential for time savings," Salomets said.

This also depended on the type of loco used for the domestic service albeit using the Rail Baltica line.

For instance, permitting a slightly slower regional train would require a shorter testing period than launching the high-speed Tallinn-Riga service.

"The procedural load is smaller for regional trains since they don't need to cross borders, plus the service capacity can be more limited," Salomets said.

Kasemets: Estonia to hold separate tender to find local operator

In addition to the rail line itself, locomotives and rolling stock are also needed to operate the Tallinn-Pärnu line.

Kasemets said that regional and international rail services should be considered separately when selecting an operator for Rail Baltica.

He said: "These are certainly different categories of tenders."

"Regional services get operated by countries and international services should, in our view, be organized at transnational level," Kasemets went on.

He added that the Ministry of Climate is due to present more detailed plans for Rail Baltica's operations to the government next year.

According to Kasemets, there are discussions going on between countries on whether international and regional rail services might be combined.

However, he said he does not see how a tender organized by another country would yield an operator for Estonia's regional lines.

"There is a very high likelihood that this will still be a tender organized by the Estonian government," Kasemets said.

As to the question of whether Estonia's domestic rail services on Rail Baltica would be operated by the state-owned Elron or a foreign operator, Kasemets reiterated that all options remain open, while more specific proposals will be presented to the government next year.

Elron ready to act immediately

CEO of Elron Lauri Betlem said that if the state wants his company to operate trains on the Rail Baltica line by the end of 2028, a decision needs to be made now.

"From the announcement of the tender to the actual start of operations, procuring trains takes at least four to five years," Betlem said. "For us to start our preparations, we would need a specific order from the ministry."

Betlem agreed with comments that locos suited for narrow-gauge tracks might be easier to find on the secondary market than would those broad-gauge tracks. At the same time, he noted that this is not a fail-safe principle.

"We have to consider the time factor and plan to procure new rolling stock entirely," Betlem said. "We can never be certain whether suitable rolling stock will be available on the secondary market at the required time."

A large foreign company biding for the Tallinn-Pärnu line operation was in Betlem's assessment unlikely. "Certainly though some larger international operators might be interested in competing for the international line," he added, referring to the whole Rail Baltica route.

Kasemets acknowledged that finding an operator for the Tallinn-Pärnu line by 2028 or 2029 requires an ambitious timetable.

"But the timetable certainly does not rule out the possibility of starting operations," Kasemets added.

The current planned start date for Rail Baltica is 2030. It is due to link Tallinn with the Lithuanian-Polish border, via Riga, and with it the rest of continental Europe.

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