Waste rock trains keep Kopli freight station operating

Waste rock shipments for Rail Baltica construction are keeping Tallinn’s Kopli freight station an important logistics hub for years to come, although the city wants to eventually relocate it and open the area to urban development, ERR reported.

Estonian Railways has begun receiving waste rock shipments from Ida-Viru County at the station three times a week. The material is then transferred to Edelaraudtee’s infrastructure and transported to Pärnu County for Rail Baltica construction.

The Kopli station will also remain an important connection to the Port of Paldiski until the Tallinn ring railway is built. Progress on the state’s special plan for the ring railway has stalled because of political disputes.

Enefit announced several weeks ago that it would supply 800,000 tonnes of crushed aggregate made from waste rock for Rail Baltica construction over two years. Enefit Industry’s logistics unit arranges transport from Ida-Viru County to Kopli, after which Operail carries the material to Pärnu. A single freight train currently carries up to 1,800 tonnes.

Arthur Raichmann, commercial director of Estonian Railways, said the shipments would not change the overall picture. At best, freight volumes on the company’s infrastructure will remain this year at last year’s level of 2.87 million tonnes, he said. Freight transport remains at a low level and Kopli station is underused.

“Freight trains travel towards Western Harju at night because passenger traffic is heavy during the day. On average, one train travels to Paldiski and back each night. In addition, waste rock arrives three times a week and continues on to Edelaraudtee. This type of bulk cargo is very well suited to rail transport. Waste rock also has by far the lowest rail-use tariff,” Raichmann said.

According to Estonian Railways, Kopli freight station covers 160,000 square metres. Raichmann said the area could eventually include property development and a green corridor, while still retaining an operating railway.

“We will continue optimising the area and cutting costs. Where assets are oversized, it makes sense to reduce them. We plan to remove some more station tracks and make some changes to the layout towards the Kopli Peninsula. But we certainly will not initiate the closure of the freight station,” Raichmann said.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik said the city nevertheless wants the freight station moved out of Tallinn in the longer term, whether in years or decades.

“The freight station has been a closed area. It has cut off the connection between Kalamaja and Pelgulinn. It is so close to the city centre and has such great potential that using it only for shunting and storing wagons is not the wisest urban-planning decision. In future, the area could be much greener, and new buildings could also be constructed there. One possibility is to extend the insect corridor,” Terik said.

The idea of extending passenger rail service to the Kopli Peninsula is also moving forward, and Elron plans to conduct a test run in autumn. Raichmann said it still needed to be considered how passenger transport could operate efficiently there in the long term.

“It is a single-track line. This means that two trains cannot be there at the same time. One travels there and back, and only then can the next one enter. So there are some question marks, but Kopli station could serve as a gateway to both the Kopli and Paljassaare peninsulas,” Raichmann said.