Rail Baltic delay disappoints Estonian municipalities and businesses
Estonian municipalities and companies along the Tallinn–Pärnu Rail Baltic route expressed disappointment after the Baltic prime ministers decided to push the project's completion from 2030 to 2034. Estonia's infrastructure minister says the Tallinn–Pärnu section could still be prioritized.
The prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have decided this week to delay completion of the international Rail Baltic railway from the previously planned 2030 to the end of the next EU budget period, meaning 2034. The decision has disappointed municipalities and businesses along the section under construction between Tallinn and Pärnu.
A large BLRT foundry is soon to open in Kohila, a location chosen partly because of the planned rail freight connection. Kohila's development adviser, Aivar Roop, said local business leaders had built the 2030 Rail Baltic launch into their plans for both passenger and freight transport. He noted that Kohila is one of only 11 growing municipalities in Estonia, and the only one outside the Tallinn metropolitan area with rising population, a trend he linked directly to the Rail Baltic project, which has already attracted the first residential developers.
No trains have run to Pärnu for eight years. Sari Sopanen, head of Brackmann Arendus, which is building a large hotel and conference center on Pärnu's beach, said rail service would benefit their business, especially since it would connect Pärnu to the international airports in Riga and Tallinn.
Former Pärnu mayor Kristel Voltenberg said the city was originally promised rail service by 2026, with the deadline repeatedly pushed back since. City planning and local businesses have relied on the subsequent 2030 promise, which now appears to be slipping again.
Estonia's Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis said the Tallinn–Pärnu section could be completed first, ahead of the full Rail Baltic line, to get domestic rail service running sooner, though the matter will still be discussed during budget negotiations. On Thursday, the Estonian government was set to discuss revised completion timelines for individual rail sections under the new schedule.
