Elron plans to upgrade Tartu-Riga trains and lease them in Latvia

Estonian state-owned passenger rail company Elron wants to refurbish three trains used on the Tartu-Riga route and may lease them to Latvia’s passenger rail operator, Vivi, for domestic services, ERR reported. The upgrades are intended to improve passenger comfort and help attract more riders.

Elron plans to use part of the funding allocated to operate the cross-border route. The planned second daily service in each direction has not yet begun because the company lacks trains. The state allocates Elron two million euros a year for two daily departures in each direction, and provided an additional 300,000 euros this year for preparations. Elron says this year’s allocation could cover upgrades to three trains while the route operates one daily departure.

The potential lease is linked to a Vivi tender for diesel trains on three routes. Elron submitted a bid for the Riga-Daugavpils-Riga route, where the train could be used between its evening arrival in Riga at about 9 p.m. and its return departure at 7.30 a.m. the next morning. The tender process is still under way. Elron says leasing the train could also give Estonian passengers better connections in central and southeastern Latvia.

The proposed work includes replacing seats, adding power sockets at every seat, installing longer tables and adding footrests to standard-class seats. Elron also plans to replace carpeting in first class and apply new exterior decals to one train. Adding luggage areas and a vending machine is also under consideration. The company says the work would be limited interior refurbishment, not a major rebuild.

The upgrades, including a small contingency, are estimated to cost 756,000 euros for the three trains, or 252,000 euros each. Together with route operating costs, the total would be just under 2.2 million euros, less than the state allocation for this year.

Elron chief executive Lauri Betlem said work could begin after a four-car diesel train, taken out of service for repairs following an accident in 2025, returns to operation. That is expected in early November. Elron plans to buy the materials during 2026 and begin installation in early 2027 as trains become available.

The Climate Ministry has given preliminary approval, but Elron is seeking final written permission. The company currently has approval to operate three two-car trains and one three-car train on Latvia’s railways. The European Union Agency for Railways is expected to approve three more three-car trains soon.

Elron began passenger services between Tartu and Riga in January this year, with one departure a day. A second daily departure in each direction depends on completion of the Tapa-Tartu rail infrastructure and the entry into service of new Škoda electric trains, which would free up diesel trains for the Riga route. Eesti Raudtee says this could happen in February 2027. The Climate Ministry and Elron signed an agreement in 2025 for two daily departures in each direction.