It is not possible to complete preparations to ensure passenger train connection between Riga and Tartu until summer, when this city will be hosting events associated with the European Capital of Culture programme. According to Estonian state-owned passenger train operator Eesti Liinirongid, which operates under Elron brand, a route like that may come no sooner than autumn.
It is not possible to establish a passenger train route between Riga and Tartu in the near future even though the Estonian Ministry of Climate has already allocated EUR 300,000 towards this.
Elron board member Mart Ehrenpreis said train timetables were prepared for a long time in advance. In order to open up traffic between Tartu and Riga, Elron’s trains Stadler Flirt have to be certified for use in Latvia. This is done through mediation from the European Railway Agency. Latvia will also need to perform test runs of those trains.
The other issue is the model for a route. For example, whether an Estonian train operator can drive the train all the way without a Latvian operator next to him. To chart train routes, Elron needs to cooperate with their Latvian colleagues from Pasazieru vilciens, which operates under Vivi brand.
The third issue is infrastructure, including comfortable boarding options, platform heights and accessibility for people with disabilities. The fourth issue is to provide technical support in the territory of Latvia in case of emergency or technical malfunctions.
One of the most important issues concerns the timetables that can be offered by the Latvian railway infrastructure maintenance company.
Elron’s current objective is organising passenger train traffic between Tartu and Riga around September and October. A lot depends on how quickly preparations are completed, how many unexpected problems appear and how quickly Latvian government and supervisory institutions do their jobs. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
