According to Eesti Raudtee, the documentation needed to certify the safety of the new security system has still not been received and will not arrive before September 19.

Eesti Raudtee has completed major construction work on the trainlines in the direction of Tartu. However, the activation of new traffic control systems in Tapa has been postponed for 3 weeks. This means that the current train schedule, whereby the journey from Tallinn to Tartu takes almost 3 hours, will remain in effect until September 19.

"We had an agreement with the contractor that the new safety system at Tapa Station would be completed during this week, at the first stage. We also had the information that we would be able to start using the new traffic control system from September. Based on that knowledge, we proceeded accordingly, and that would have allowed us to restore speeds in the direction of Tartu to their previous level from the beginning of September," said Kaido Zimmermann, chair of Eesti Raudtee's management board.

"Unfortunately, our contractual partner Siemens Mobility OY has only now informed us that although the work is physically complete and has been tested by both parties, the safety-related documentation will not be available until September 19. We are not allowed to switch on the system before we receive that documentation," explained Zimmermann.

According to Zimmermann, it is a case of some unforeseen risks materializing. Elron, which manages passenger transport, will not be able to operate according to the new schedule for another 3 weeks and therefore has to continue using the previous train schedule, on which full service on the Tartu line has been restored, with no need for replacement buses.

"Of the current options, this was the best way to ensure safe rail traffic going in the direction of Tartu. We will be able to switch to the new schedule from September 22," Zimmermann added.

The aim of the control-command and signaling (CCS) modernization project is to replace outdated and labor-intensive traffic control technology that significantly hampers the ability to ensure the continuity of rail operations.

The renewal project is to be carried out in 3 stages.

In the first phase, work will take place on the Tartu–Valga, Tapa–Tartu, Tapa–Narva, and Tartu–Koidula lines, and in the second phase on the Tallinn–Tapa and Valga–Koidula lines.

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