Three Elron two-car Stadler Flirt diesel trains will operate on the line between Tartu and Latvian capital Riga.

"A minimum of three trains are needed to launch the line in order to ensure regular maintenance of the trains takes place," said Elron management board member Märt Ehrenpreis.

Elron will start its regular service on the Tallinn–Tartu–Valga–Riga line on January 12, with only one departure per day to begin with. A second direct departure will be added once Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways) has completed infrastructure work and new Škoda trains begin operating on the Tallinn–Tartu line.

Ehrenpreis said that the opening of the line was somewhat hampered by a traffic accident in Saku municipality on November 27, which meant one diesel train will be out of service for at least a year.

The Tallinn–Tartu–Riga line is being launched in cooperation with the Latvian passenger train operator Pasažieru Vilciens (Vivi), whose train drivers will operate the Elron train on the Valga–Riga section of the railway line.

According to the preliminary timetable, the train will depart from Tallinn at 2.50 p.m., from Tartu at 5.05 p.m., and arrive in Riga at 8.52 p.m.

In the opposite direction, the train will depart from Riga at 7:40 a.m., arrive in Tartu at 11:25 a.m. and reach Tallinn at 2:11 p.m. A ticket from Tartu to Riga will cost between €19 and €22.

According to Kristo Mäe, head of international business at Elron, the timetable may change slightly at the beginning of the year due to infrastructure work between Valga and Riga on the Latvia side of the border.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!