New electric trains set to serve Tallinn-Tartu route from February
Tuesday 3rd November 2026 on 09:30 in
Estonia
New Škoda electric trains could begin operating between Tallinn and Tartu from February 1, ERR reports, as railway works on the route near completion.
Infrastructure work is due to finish by mid-January, after which the journey from Tallinn to Tartu will take one hour and 55 minutes. Travel currently takes up to two and a half hours in November, with journey times expected to start falling in December. From summer 2027, the fastest train is expected to make the trip in one hour and 45 minutes.
Estonian Railways board chair Merle Kurvits said the final work to bring a new traffic management system into operation on the Tartu route was nearing completion. The busiest work period will be November, with trains continuing to run during construction, so passengers should check schedules for changes.
Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis said Siemens representatives had confirmed that the timetable would allow the new electric trains to start running on the route in February. Their arrival will also allow existing diesel trains to be reassigned to other lines and services elsewhere in Estonia to be more frequent, he said.
Estonian Railways is replacing the system that directs train traffic and ensures safety, working station by station. Work is scheduled first at Nõmmküla, Tamsalu and Kiltsi, followed by Rakke, Vägeva, Pedja and Jõgeva, then Kaarepere and Tabivere. Work at Kärknä and Tartu is scheduled for January 2027. Schedule changes in construction areas are expected to be more frequent than usual, but measured in minutes rather than hours.
Work is also continuing on the Narva route. The journey from Tallinn is expected to take two hours and seven minutes from November, less than its current two and a half hours. From January 2027, the trip is expected to take under two hours, falling to one hour and 50 minutes in June.
The rail traffic management and safety system upgrades are being carried out across much of Estonia’s rail network by a consortium of Siemens Mobility Oy and GRK Rail Oy, under a contract signed in November 2020. Work on the Tapa-Tartu section is part of that contract.