New train schedule cuts Southern Estonia's early morning link to Tallinn
On Elron's new schedule, many Southern Estonian residents can no longer reach Tallinn before 10 a.m. by train, with a 45-minute transfer in Tartu adding to the journey.
Until recently, a morning train from Elva reached Balti jaam, Tallinn's central train station, shortly after 9:30 a.m. Under the new schedule, passengers traveling north on the Valga line can no longer make that connection.
Elva Deputy Mayor Juhani Jaeger called the development an unpleasant change.
"A 45-minute wait for a transfer has been tacked on in Tartu, making the trip even longer," Jaeger said, making it even more difficult for people to make it to a 10 a.m. meeting or appointment in the capital.
Passengers from Elva now reach Tallinn just before 11 a.m., stretching a morning rail commute of two hours and 40 minutes into a nearly four-hour journey.
"If you want to attend some kind of training, you used to be able to go in the morning," said Piret, a mother of four. "Now you basically have to head up the night before already."
She added that groups from schools also used the morning train for field trips to Tallinn.
The schedule changes were driven by ongoing railway signaling-system upgrades between Tapa and Tartu, which have significantly reduced rail capacity and curbed train speeds along the route.
Elron customer experience development manager Hannes Luts said the situation should improve in stages.
"All of this significantly limits our flexibility in setting the schedule, but the good news is that, based on what we know today, we should be able to shorten travel times starting October 5," Luts said.
By November 2, he added, the wait in Tartu could potentially be reduced to just a few minutes.
Commute to Tartu prioritized
However, infrastructure work is expected to continue through the end of the year, meaning the morning train from Elva still won't reach Tallinn before 10 a.m. again this year.
Luts said the schedule must unfortunately prioritize the majority of passengers on the Valga–Tartu route, who are traveling to Tartu rather than Tallinn.
"That train from Elva has to reach Tartu at around 7:30 in the morning, because people need it to get to work and school," he added.
Even so, some passengers are still unhappy about the logistical ripple effects of the change.
"It's actually pretty sad that people are told to drive less and use public transport, and now those with more kids essentially had the rug pulled out from under them," Piret said.
The first direct rail connection from Elva currently reaches Balti jaam at 2 p.m. Elron says rail service to Tallinn will become faster and more frequent next year.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla
