Estonia Invests in Trains for Rail Baltica

Estonia has launched the procurement process for electric trains to serve the new high-speed Rail Baltica line, strengthening internal transport and future European connections. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Estonia Announces Start of Electric Train Procurement

State-owned carrier Elron announced plans to acquire six electric trains for Rail Baltica. Consultations with potential suppliers concluded on April 25, and the tender will open in June.

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The contract signing is scheduled for December, followed by production. Each train will reach speeds up to 200 km/h and accommodate up to 200 seated passengers.

The trains will measure up to 100 meters in length. Manufacturers must deliver all six units by autumn 2029, ensuring service launch by December 8, 2030.

Estonia Expands Railway Connections Through Rail Baltica

The new trains will initially operate on domestic routes in Estonia but will later serve cross-border trips to Latvia. They cannot run on Estonia’s existing network due to track gauge differences.

The Rail Baltica project will build 870 km of European-standard railway. The line will be electrified at 25 kV AC and designed for speeds up to 249 km/h.

The project budget grew from €5.8 billion to €15.3 billion, which is about $16.4 billion at today’s exchange rate. Funding covers 85% from the Connecting Europe Facility, with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania providing the remainder.

Elron currently operates rolling stock supplied by Stadler between 2013 and 2014. In 2021, Elron signed a contract with Skoda Group for 16 new 21Ev electric trains worth $156 million.

The first train under this contract arrived in Estonia in 2024, with the second delivered two weeks later. Testing of the new units has already begun.

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