While the ultimate goal is for trains to make the journey in around 90 minutes, currently it takes twice that long.

The normal-speed train traffic had been expected to return early last month following track straightening work, but safety system documentation delays have held this up.

Estonian Railways reported last month that construction work in the Tartu direction had reached its final stages, pending the activation of new traffic management systems at Tapa station. However, this process had been subject to repeat delays.

The company explained the preparation of safety-related documentation was taking longer than expected, as the contractor is documenting for the first time interaction between Siemens technology and rail-chain tech as provided by a Ukrainian subcontractor.

As of mid-October, train travel between Tallinn and Tartu still takes around three hours.

Estonian Railways board chair Kaido Zimmermann said that when extending train schedules, the operator followed the principle of the fewer changes the better, and that the switch to a new, faster timetable will take place on October 20.

"In the new schedule, travel times will certainly improve, although there are still restrictions related to the complete reconstruction of the existing overhead contact line between Lagedi and Aegviidu — that work will continue until the end of the year," Zimmermann said.

According to the new timetables, the Tallinn–Tartu express train will make the trip in two hours and 19 minutes, while the regular train stopping several will take two hours and 40 minutes — an improvement of around 25 minutes each. The next timetable adjustment is planned for November 23; Zimmermann said he hopes that travel times can be shortened even further by that stage.

Kristo Mäe, a spokesperson for Elron, who operate passenger trains on the line, said the goal of Tallinn-Tartu rail journey times of less than two hours were still some ways off.

"Since the infrastructure work is still ongoing, there's still a way to go before we return to the express train travel time of one hour and 57 minutes that we had a couple of years ago," Mäe told ERR.

The required upgrades to safety systems at Tapa station are still underway, for one thing.

"We ourselves are also waiting to be able to accept the work. Until the new traffic control system is activated, the switching of turnouts at Tapa station is done manually, and the related costs are borne by the contractor," Zimmermann noted.

Zimmermann pointed out that the traffic management system being installed at Tapa, a major rail junction, is the first of its kind in Estonia, and for this reason it is getting special attention both in terms of tech and the preparation of safety documentation.

"In the future, the implementation of already tested solutions will hopefully go more smoothly. Once the Aegviidu–Tapa section has been put into operation, we can use that experience to better plan the following stages. After that, the modernization of traffic management systems will continue on the Tapa–Tartu, Tartu–Valga, Tapa–Narva and Tartu–Koidula lines, and in the second phase on the Tallinn–Tapa and Valga–Koidula lines," he went on.

Mäe said that infrastructure work between Tapa and Tartu has significantly affected passenger numbers over the past couple of years.

Last year, the number of passengers on the Tallinn–Tartu route fell by 16 percent on year — a fall of more than 250,000 passengers.

Elron says it forecasts a rapid recovery and growth in passenger numbers once the infrastructure works are complete and new electric trains introduced. "Particularly if the journey time becomes significantly shorter than before. The goal is to reach a travel time of one hour and 30 minutes between Tartu and Tallinn Ülemiste station," Mäe said.

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