First Rail Baltica passenger platform in Estonia to be finished in Kurtna this year
Construction of platforms at local stations along the Rail Baltica route in Estonia has begun, with the first one in Kurtna due this year. Train services are not expected to start for another six years.
Work has begun in Estonia on platforms at local stations along the Rail Baltica railway line, the project linking the Baltic states with the European rail network. The first one, in Kurtna, is due to be completed this year, although trains are not expected to run for another six years.
Lauri Ulm, a management board member at Rail Baltic Estonia, said the Kurtna station will have a 115-meter platform, along with 210-meter platforms designed for both international passenger trains and regional trains run by the operator Elron. Passengers at Kurtna will cross the tracks using elevators and an overhead walkway, while other stations may get underpasses, depending on local conditions.
Timeline
Rail Baltic Estonia is building stations and tracks at the same time. According to Ulm, both should be open to the public by the end of 2032. Track laying will reach Kurtna in 2029, and the first test train could pass through by the end of 2030, depending on how schedules are arranged. Elron said a new procurement for local trains has not yet been announced, so it is unclear when train testing will start.
A local perspective
Anna Lutter, a lifelong resident of Kurtna, has mixed feelings about the project. The railway will cross land that belonged to her ancestors, but her event and accommodation center, uper.KUUT, houses construction workers and provides space for the local Rail Baltica project office. The center occupies the former main building of a poultry research station designed by architect Valve Pormeister.
Lutter rejected the suggestion that she bought the property a year and a half ago because of Rail Baltica, saying she bought it because she is from the area. She said it is hard to predict whether the new infrastructure will make the area more attractive to businesses and residents, since locals are fond of the existing railway, which runs fairly close to Kurtna. Still, she believes the project should not be left unfinished, and hopes the investments will eventually pay off and trains will actually run.
