Rail Baltica to complete first local platform in Kurtna this year

Rail Baltica’s first local train platform is due to be completed in Kurtna this year, ERR reported. All 12 local stops are expected to be ready by 2032, alongside the railway between Tallinn and Pärnu.

The platform in Kurtna will be 115 metres long. Some platforms will be 210 metres long to accommodate both international passenger trains and Elron’s regional trains, said Lauri Ulm, a board member of Rail Baltic Estonia. The company is building the railway and train stops at the same time.

At Kurtna, passengers will be able to cross the tracks using lifts and an elevated crossing. Other stops will have tunnels, depending on local conditions, Ulm said.

Rail installation is expected to reach Kurtna in 2029. Depending on the construction schedule, the first test train could run there by the end of 2030. Elron said the start of train testing is not yet known because a procurement for new local trains has not been announced.

Anna Lutter, who is from Kurtna, said she has mixed feelings about Rail Baltica because the railway runs through land belonging to her ancestors. Her event and accommodation centre, Uper.KUUT, provides accommodation for construction workers and the local Rail Baltica project office.

The centre is in a former main building of a poultry breeding experimental station designed by Valve Pormeister. Lutter said she bought the property because she is from the area, not because of the railway project.

She said it was difficult to know whether the new rail infrastructure would make the area more attractive for businesses and residents. Locals are fond of the old railway, which is close to Kurtna, she said. But she added that the work already started should not be left unfinished, and hoped the infrastructure investments would eventually bear fruit and the trains would begin running.