Tallinn-Vilnius train connection to launch Monday

TALLINN - The Tallinn-Tartu-Riga-Vilnius passenger train connection is to start operating on Monday, the regional Vooremaa writes.

The last time it was possible to travel directly by train from Tallinn to Latvia and Lithuania was in 1998 with the Baltic Express. After that, the service ceased. Attempts were made to restart it, but they failed. In November of last year, train operators from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania reached an agreement on harmonizing schedules to enable travel between the three countries.

The connection, which involves two transfers, between Tallinn, Tartu, Riga, and Vilnius will begin operating on Jan. 6. From the perspective of the state, the harmonization of schedules improves travel opportunities for people in southern and central Estonia. However, the level of interest from local residents remains uncertain. From Jõgeva, passengers can start their journey to neighboring countries daily at 12:11 p.m. on the Valga-bound train, arriving in the border town at 1:54 p.m. In Valga, they can transfer to the Riga-bound train, which departs at 2:11 p.m.

Due to the condition of Latvia's railway infrastructure, the 150-kilometer distance takes approximately 2.5 hours to traverse. After a quick transfer in Riga, the journey to Lithuania's capital begins at 4:55 p.m. Passengers arrive in Vilnius a few minutes past 9 p.m. Exploring the capitals is made more complicated by the late arrivals in both Vilnius and Tallinn, necessitating overnight accommodation.

On the return journey, the train from Vilnius to Riga departs at 7:05 a.m. and reaches Riga in four hours. From there, the Valga-bound train departs at 11:16 a.m. and arrives in Valga at 1:51 p.m. After a short wait in the border town, the Estonian state-owned passenger train operator Elron's train departs for home at 2:10 p.m., with passengers arriving on the Jõgeva platform by 3:50 p.m.

The return journey takes approximately nine hours, the same as the trip to Lithuania. From Elron's perspective, the Baltic states are historically and economically closely connected, and thus the train connection on the existing infrastructure is expected to further improve compared to current options.

Elron is also preparing a direct Tartu-Riga connection to be launched in the second half of 2025. To address critics, it can be noted that there are plenty of train enthusiasts who enjoy the journey. Once in Vilnius, all of Europe becomes accessible. From there, passengers can continue to Warsaw, Kraków, and other European cities on Intercity trains.

For the time being, for trips involving two transfers, passengers need to purchase tickets from each train operator's website or directly on the train. Work has begun on creating a unified ticketing solution for this route.