Gallery: First direct Tallinn-Tartu-Riga train departs from Balti Jaam Monday
On Monday at 2:50 p.m., the first train on the new Tallinn–Tartu–Riga line departed from Balti Jaam in the Estonian capital. The train will arrive at Riga Central Station at 8:46 p.m. on Monday evening.
Initially, only international tickets will be sold for the route. However, according to Elron, tickets for journeys inside Latvia between Valmiera and Riga are set to be made available in the coming weeks.
Starting this Monday, January 12, the Tallinn–Tartu–Riga train will depart daily from Tallinn's Balti Jaam station at 2:50 p.m., then from Tartu at 5:05 p.m. The train arrives in the Latvian capital Riga at 8:46 p.m.
The train heading in the opposite direction will depart from Riga at 7:38 a.m., arrive in Tartu at 11:25 a.m., and reach Tallinn at 1:57 p.m. The first departure from Riga on the Riga–Tartu–Tallinn was scheduled for Tuesday morning, January 13, at 7:38 a.m.
According to the current timetable, the journey from Tartu to Riga takes 3 hours and 41 minutes, while the journey from Tallinn to Riga takes 5 hours and 56 minutes.
A ticket from Tartu to Riga costs €19 – 22, and from Tallinn to Riga €29 –32.
According to financial estimates, running one train per day, which makes the trip from Tallinn to Riga in the evening and then returns the following morning, requires approximately €1 million in state subsidies per year.
The Tallinn–Tartu–Riga train line was launched in cooperation between the Estonian Ministry of Climate, the Estonian Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, the City of Tartu, Latvian passenger train operator Vivi, along with additional Latvian partners.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi. Michael Cole
