State-owned Estonian Railways (Eesti Raudtee) began the process in 2023 with a deadline for electrifying 700 kilometers of track by the end of 2024. However, the final deadline has been repeatedly pushed back. A new deadline, set for the third quarter of 2025, will also be overshot.

Train services between Tallinn and Tartu are inconsistent, with trains traveling far slower than usual.

Elron CEO Lauri Betlem told ERR that last year the company lost about €2 million in ticket revenue on the Tallinn–Tartu route. This year's losses will be higher.

"We procured the Škoda trains with the expectation that the railway would be ready in 2024 and that we would begin operating with them at the start of 2025," Betlem said.

"Last summer, Estonian Railways told us that the Tallinn–Tartu section would be finished by September this year, and we operated under that assumption. Until the most recent update came and we learned they will not make it in time, and the deadline has been pushed back again."

Of the 16 new electric trains Elron ordered, 11 are long-distance trains and five are commuter trains. Ten of them have already arrived in Estonia.

Betlem said the new trains can start working immediately once the infrastructure allows it.

"Estonian Railways has said that the new system could be operational up to Tapa sometime this fall, and as soon as that happens, we plan to begin using that section. But as for when service to Tartu will begin, that remains unclear. Eesti Raudtee has not announced any new binding deadline," he said.

Monika Lilles, head of communications at Estonian Railways, also confirmed the plan.

"Construction of the signaling systems up to Tartu is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026, after which it should be possible to begin serving the new electric trains all the way to Tartu," said Lilles.

The most important development for passengers is that by early fall, train speeds will return to their previous levels, she added.

Double-decker buses

But some passengers have already switched their mode of transportation.

As of Monday, bus company Lux Express introduced new double-decker buses on the Tallinn–Tartu route, adding 500 seats per day to the line.

But Elron's Betlem, there is no reason to fear that passengers will start switching en masse from trains to buses.

"Before these renovations on Eesti Raudtee began, passenger numbers were growing rapidly, and the opposite problem occurred — there was not enough space on the trains. I do not see Lux Express directly taking passengers from us. It is more than if our service does not meet passengers' expectations, they will find an alternative way to travel," he explained. "As soon as the service is back to normal, I have no doubt that passengers will return to Elron."

The company asks passengers to be patient because Elron can do nothing to speed up the process itself.

--

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