Rail Baltica update 2025

[Tinginys]

Since there hasn't been much exposure or discussion of this project here lately, I though I'll post a quick (ended up being not so quick, it seems ) update on Rail Baltica, arguably the largest and most important railway project in Europe right now, and by far the largest transport (or any other, for that matter) project in the Baltic states. Progress is happening, but slowly and not according to the original plan. It’s not catastrophic, but it’s far from good. I'm writing this more from the Lithuanian perspective, since this is where I am, so I apologize in advance if I didn't concentrate on Latvia and Estonia as much as I should have, but I did my best.

Summary
• The original schedule aimed for full completion by 2025, later pushed to 2030.
• The project was then split into two "phases", effectively postponing full delivery to an uncertain future (plausible completion pushed to the mid-2030s or later).
• “Phase 1” is now the realistic near-term outcome; full completion ("phase 2") is highly uncertain and has not been specified. It is said to be pending more clarity from the EU regarding financing which will be decided post-2028.

Original 2030 scope

Lithuania
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline from PL/LT border via Kaunas and Panevėžys to LT/LV border.
• Dual-track Kaunas–Vilnius branch, 249 km/h.
• New Rail Baltica bridge in Kaunas over the Nemunas River.
• Full upgrade of Vilnius station (Zaha Hadid design).
• Panevėžys loop with a station near to the city

Latvia
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline with a Riga loop.
• Central and airport stations in Riga.
• New bridge over the Daugava in Riga.

Estonia
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline.
• New Ülemiste station in Tallinn (Zaha Hadid design).


Watered-down "Phase 1" 2030 scope (as of November 2025)

Lithuania
• Construction *should get* started (not finished) on PL/LT border → Kaunas section; financing and schedule remain uncertain.
• Single track north of Kaunas to the LT/LV border via Panevėžys

Latvia
• Single-track everywhere; embankments prepared for dual-track.
• A 1520 mm link from Salaspils to Riga to connect to Riga Central Station
• Partial completion of Riga central station and the airport station; a temporary 1520 mm airport link planned.

Estonia
• Single-track, 160 km/h operation on a dual-track embankment.
• Ülemiste station remains on track for completion.

What’s actually being done now (November 2025)

Lithuania
• Embankment and substructure works on ~114 km north of Kaunas.
• Design, land acquisition, and preparatory work for PL/LT border → Kaunas; design contract signed with DB Engineering & Consulting. No actual construction work yet.
• Jonava bridge construction underway but ~2 years behind schedule.

Latvia
• Work on Riga central and airport stations has resumed after a pause.
• Short mainline sections near Iecava under construction.

Estonia
• Ülemiste terminal construction progressing.
• Mainline substructure works in over ~70 km.

Poland
• Not formally part of Rail Baltica, but upgrading PL/LT border → Białystok → Warsaw to dual-track electrified standard for speeds of 160–200 km/h. Poland is unlikely to be the problematic part since they have experience and a track record of large-scale transport, including railway, projects.

Big picture and concerns

• The project has been significantly scaled back: Kaunas–Vilnius is effectively shelved for now, several bridges were postponed or cancelled, most corridors are now planned as single-track for the foreseeable future (albeit embankments are being built for double-track). Station upgrades in Lithuania were either cut back or abandoned altogether.
• From my long-term follow-up (since ~2015), the current situation was predictable. Early PR in around 2018-2019 mentioned completely unrealistic deadlines (2025, then 2030) while actual work on the ground didn't start until ~2022 or so. Budgeting also looked completely unrealistic from the beginning, ~5-6M Eur per 1 km of railway, no way on earth this could be even remotelty close to the price of building a new railway.
• Media scrutiny basically did not exist. For a multi-billion mega-project of this scale, independent investigative journalistic pressure, in Lithuania at least, was effectively nonexistent, which allowed delays and shifting targets to continue with pretty much zero public accountability. I don't know why this is, but my suspicion is that journalists in Lithuania are so incompetent and lacking even the most basic knowledge about the subject that they simply don't know that there is such a project taking place at all. I know this sounds wild but everything is pointing to that.

Rails versus stations discussion

• Lithuanian officials framed priorities as "mainline over stations" but in practice Lithuania neither prioritized stations nor delivered any mainline progress, just kept talking about it. Again, there was zero scrutinity from the media or society.
• Estonia has advanced both the Ülemiste station and mainline work.
• Latvia shows mixed progress: partial Riga station work and a temporary airport solution.
• Lithuania’s shelving of Kaunas–Vilnius effectively disconnects Vilnius from the 1435 mm network, which I regard as a major strategic failure, at least as of now. This is not "prioritising mainline" by any stretch. More like a cluster*uck.

Rolling stock

• There was a press release by LTG Link (and I think other respective railway companies in Latvia and Estonia) stating that they would purchase regional trains capable of 200 km/h operation without further details. No mention of long-distance/intercity rolling stock. I can only speculate that this is because it's unclear when the actual international links such as Kaunas-Riga or Riga-Tallinn will actually be completed. More local regional services such as Kaunas-Panevėžys or Pärnu-Tallinn, on the other hand, could be launched much earlier.

My take

• The revised, phased approach made “Phase 1” achievable in principle (as of 2025, anyway) and real construction is finally visible. That’s a positive development.
• However, the repeated rescheduling, repeated scope reductions, lack of *ANY* kind of public and media scrutiny point to systemic shortcomings in project governance. The likelihood of the full original vision being realized anytime before 2040-2045 is very low.
• If continued construction momentum is sustained and financing is secured, a proper PL/LT border → Kaunas electrified dual-track could still be delivered. But important elements (notably Kaunas–Vilnius and major Lithuanian station upgrades) remain at risk or will be abandoned altogether which would be quite tragic.

End note We’ll at least get something built, probably have decent Warsaw-Kaunas connection which in itself is great news, but the project now looks like a severely compromised version of what was planned. The main worry remains Lithuania’s downgraded commitments and the absence of public and media oversight, which is a big shame because it didn't need to be that way. It still doesn't need to be that way and could be fixed, but due to the reasons I mentioned, it probably wont be


Anyway, enough ranting, time for some maps and photos/videos.


Official Rail Baltica progress map which approximately indicates status of specific sections: https://www.railbaltica.org/map/
Dark blue - construction works
Light blue - covered by contracts
Orange - planned works (=nothing is happening on the ground yet)



One of the more recent Rail Baltica PR videos about track laying near Jonava in Lithuania. Not sure why the rush to lay tracks when other infrastructure is nowhere near done but I guess it's something that public would associate with how railway construction looks like i.e. actual railway tracks being laid, so here is some track-laying for you

3D video of how the Jonava bridge superstructure and deck will get built

Some construction work drone footage from Estonia. September 2025

Ülemiste terminal 2023-2025

This is all for now. I will try to take some of my own drone photo/video footage over the next few weeks if weather allows (problematic at this time of year). Despite all the shortcomings and obstacles I do hope this projects will get done in some shape, even if not how it was planned originally. One thing for sure, Baltic States will have improved transport links to Poland, which is good. Just probably not as good as it could and should have been.

 

[JB_B]

That's really interesting, thanks for posting.

 

[stuu]

Thanks for the detailed update, it always seemed ludicrously optimistic that it would all get done in the announced timescales. I guess the minimum outcome can always be upgraded incrementally, and Phase 1 is still a lot better than what exists now

 

[edwin_m]

Any sign of any of the 1.5% of GDP assigned to defence "supporting infrastructure" being directed towards Rail Baltica? Even before events in Ukraine, one of its stated purposes was to provide a strategic link to allow reinforcements to reach the Baltics more quickly without the complication of a break of gauge.

 

[Full Standing]

Thanks for this extremely insightful post. I've recently travelled to the Baltics by train (from Germany) and visited Latvia and Lithuania (trip report follows). I was quite surprised to see so few infrastructure for Rail baltica actually being built. The timeline seems to be extremely ambitious. Also, the Rail Baltica construction site around Rīga's central station looked a bit sad, in particular due to the new Daugava bridge ending at the embankment of the river with no signs that they are about to extend it (it thought I had a photo of said scene but apparently I don't).

But I did take a photo of the site at Rīga's central station on October 13, 2025.

Southern side of Rīga's central station. One can see the Rail Baltica terminal under construction. The photo prominently features a large space in the foreground on which quite a few people and seagulls are moving. Behind this space, there is an elevated railway line consisting of multiple tracks which is under construction. One can also see platforms being built; a roof spanning the platforms is also under construction. Two cranes are in use on the site.

Waiting for a train at Kaunas railway station, I went to a small exhibition on Rail Baltica which was present at the station. It mostly contained information also available on the Rail Baltica website. But I found one detail on one of the maps quite bemusing: Where is Russia? If this was just a mistake, it would be extremely embarassing. And if it was a deliberate omission, well, that would be dubious as well.


Schematic map of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia (Estonia is not visible in full). One can see the three Baltic states and a schematic representation of the railway line passing though the countries. The map does not feature Russia. Instead, the area occupied by Russia is depicted as if it was sea.

 

[stuu]

Wishful thinking!

Although Poland is depicted as sea as well, so it's more likely just a designer's whim

 

[edwin_m]

One can see the Rail Baltica terminal under construction.

To be clear, I believe the entire station is being reconstructed, with broad gauge tracks to the north and standard to the south.

 

[stadler]

Since there hasn't been much exposure or discussion of this project here lately, I though I'll post a quick (ended up being not so quick, it seems ) update on Rail Baltica, arguably the largest and most important railway project in Europe right now, and by far the largest transport (or any other, for that matter) project in the Baltic states. Progress is happening, but slowly and not according to the original plan. It’s not catastrophic, but it’s far from good. I'm writing this more from the Lithuanian perspective, since this is where I am, so I apologize in advance if I didn't concentrate on Latvia and Estonia as much as I should have, but I did my best.

Summary
• The original schedule aimed for full completion by 2025, later pushed to 2030.
• The project was then split into two "phases", effectively postponing full delivery to an uncertain future (plausible completion pushed to the mid-2030s or later).
• “Phase 1” is now the realistic near-term outcome; full completion ("phase 2") is highly uncertain and has not been specified. It is said to be pending more clarity from the EU regarding financing which will be decided post-2028.

Original 2030 scope

Lithuania
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline from PL/LT border via Kaunas and Panevėžys to LT/LV border.
• Dual-track Kaunas–Vilnius branch, 249 km/h.
• New Rail Baltica bridge in Kaunas over the Nemunas River.
• Full upgrade of Vilnius station (Zaha Hadid design).
• Panevėžys loop with a station near to the city

Latvia
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline with a Riga loop.
• Central and airport stations in Riga.
• New bridge over the Daugava in Riga.

Estonia
• Dual-track, 249 km/h mainline.
• New Ülemiste station in Tallinn (Zaha Hadid design).


Watered-down "Phase 1" 2030 scope (as of November 2025)

Lithuania
• Construction *should get* started (not finished) on PL/LT border → Kaunas section; financing and schedule remain uncertain.
• Single track north of Kaunas to the LT/LV border via Panevėžys

Latvia
• Single-track everywhere; embankments prepared for dual-track.
• A 1520 mm link from Salaspils to Riga to connect to Riga Central Station
• Partial completion of Riga central station and the airport station; a temporary 1520 mm airport link planned.

Estonia
• Single-track, 160 km/h operation on a dual-track embankment.
• Ülemiste station remains on track for completion.

What’s actually being done now (November 2025)

Lithuania
• Embankment and substructure works on ~114 km north of Kaunas.
• Design, land acquisition, and preparatory work for PL/LT border → Kaunas; design contract signed with DB Engineering & Consulting. No actual construction work yet.
• Jonava bridge construction underway but ~2 years behind schedule.

Latvia
• Work on Riga central and airport stations has resumed after a pause.
• Short mainline sections near Iecava under construction.

Estonia
• Ülemiste terminal construction progressing.
• Mainline substructure works in over ~70 km.

Poland
• Not formally part of Rail Baltica, but upgrading PL/LT border → Białystok → Warsaw to dual-track electrified standard for speeds of 160–200 km/h. Poland is unlikely to be the problematic part since they have experience and a track record of large-scale transport, including railway, projects.

Big picture and concerns

• The project has been significantly scaled back: Kaunas–Vilnius is effectively shelved for now, several bridges were postponed or cancelled, most corridors are now planned as single-track for the foreseeable future (albeit embankments are being built for double-track). Station upgrades in Lithuania were either cut back or abandoned altogether.
• From my long-term follow-up (since ~2015), the current situation was predictable. Early PR in around 2018-2019 mentioned completely unrealistic deadlines (2025, then 2030) while actual work on the ground didn't start until ~2022 or so. Budgeting also looked completely unrealistic from the beginning, ~5-6M Eur per 1 km of railway, no way on earth this could be even remotelty close to the price of building a new railway.
• Media scrutiny basically did not exist. For a multi-billion mega-project of this scale, independent investigative journalistic pressure, in Lithuania at least, was effectively nonexistent, which allowed delays and shifting targets to continue with pretty much zero public accountability. I don't know why this is, but my suspicion is that journalists in Lithuania are so incompetent and lacking even the most basic knowledge about the subject that they simply don't know that there is such a project taking place at all. I know this sounds wild but everything is pointing to that.

Rails versus stations discussion

• Lithuanian officials framed priorities as "mainline over stations" but in practice Lithuania neither prioritized stations nor delivered any mainline progress, just kept talking about it. Again, there was zero scrutinity from the media or society.
• Estonia has advanced both the Ülemiste station and mainline work.
• Latvia shows mixed progress: partial Riga station work and a temporary airport solution.
• Lithuania’s shelving of Kaunas–Vilnius effectively disconnects Vilnius from the 1435 mm network, which I regard as a major strategic failure, at least as of now. This is not "prioritising mainline" by any stretch. More like a cluster*uck.

Rolling stock

• There was a press release by LTG Link (and I think other respective railway companies in Latvia and Estonia) stating that they would purchase regional trains capable of 200 km/h operation without further details. No mention of long-distance/intercity rolling stock. I can only speculate that this is because it's unclear when the actual international links such as Kaunas-Riga or Riga-Tallinn will actually be completed. More local regional services such as Kaunas-Panevėžys or Pärnu-Tallinn, on the other hand, could be launched much earlier.

My take

• The revised, phased approach made “Phase 1” achievable in principle (as of 2025, anyway) and real construction is finally visible. That’s a positive development.
• However, the repeated rescheduling, repeated scope reductions, lack of *ANY* kind of public and media scrutiny point to systemic shortcomings in project governance. The likelihood of the full original vision being realized anytime before 2040-2045 is very low.
• If continued construction momentum is sustained and financing is secured, a proper PL/LT border → Kaunas electrified dual-track could still be delivered. But important elements (notably Kaunas–Vilnius and major Lithuanian station upgrades) remain at risk or will be abandoned altogether which would be quite tragic.

End note We’ll at least get something built, probably have decent Warsaw-Kaunas connection which in itself is great news, but the project now looks like a severely compromised version of what was planned. The main worry remains Lithuania’s downgraded commitments and the absence of public and media oversight, which is a big shame because it didn't need to be that way. It still doesn't need to be that way and could be fixed, but due to the reasons I mentioned, it probably wont be


Anyway, enough ranting, time for some maps and photos/videos.


Official Rail Baltica progress map which approximately indicates status of specific sections: https://www.railbaltica.org/map/
Dark blue - construction works
Light blue - covered by contracts
Orange - planned works (=nothing is happening on the ground yet)

View attachment 191596

One of the more recent Rail Baltica PR videos about track laying near Jonava in Lithuania. Not sure why the rush to lay tracks when other infrastructure is nowhere near done but I guess it's something that public would associate with how railway construction looks like i.e. actual railway tracks being laid, so here is some track-laying for you

3D video of how the Jonava bridge superstructure and deck will get built

Some construction work drone footage from Estonia. September 2025

Ülemiste terminal 2023-2025

This is all for now. I will try to take some of my own drone photo/video footage over the next few weeks if weather allows (problematic at this time of year). Despite all the shortcomings and obstacles I do hope this projects will get done in some shape, even if not how it was planned originally. One thing for sure, Baltic States will have improved transport links to Poland, which is good. Just probably not as good as it could and should have been.

Thank you very much for writing up that detailed update on the project. Much appreciated. This is very interesting to read.

Shelving the Vilnius part is bonkers. I thought one of the major aims of the Rail Baltica project was to link Poland with the three Baltic capitals. The capital city of Lithuania will no longer be part of it. It also means that the second largest city (Kaunas) will get better international connections than the capital city (Vilnius) which seems crazy.

Surely it would have been more sensible to build a new line to enable direct Poland - Vilnius - Kaunas - Riga - Tallinn trains rather than making Vilnius a branch line. I am sure the route could have been altered and a new line built to make this possible. If the proposed line does get built to Vilnius then it will always get a lower service when it is only a branch rather than part of the main route. It just seems like Vilnius is being forgotten compared to the other capitals.

If i have understood it correctly it seems like the plan is for Rail Baltica to terminate at Ulemiste in Tallinn instead of the city centre. This seems crazy. This is like terminating HS2 at Willesden Junction instead of at a Central London station. Ulemiste is right next to Tallinn Airport and an Elron broad gauge station but it is not in Tallinn city centre. As a result this means that passengers will have to change at Ulemiste from a standard gauge train to a broad gauge train to get in to the city centre. Why can they not extend it all the way to Tallinn main station.

 

[JonasB]

Thanks for the update! This a rail line that could really be a game changer for the Baltic states, so it's sad to see that it's not doing better.

As a result this means that passengers will have to change at Ulemiste from a standard gauge train to a broad gauge train to get in to the city centre.

Extending the standard gauge all the way to the current station (Balti jaam) would be the best, no doubt about that. But having a station at Ülemiste is not that horrible. Passengers can change to a broad gauge train to get to central Tallinn, but they can also change to a tram and for many parts of central Tallinn Ülemiste is not a terrible option.

 

[gravitystorm]

I am sure the route could have been altered and a new line built to make this possible.

Only if you don't mind the route zig-zagging like crazy. If you look at a map, it's a roughly straight line corridor from Suwałki - Riga - Talinn. You can add in Kaunas without much deviation. Or you could add a big sweeping diversion to add Vilnius and skip Kaunas. But to do both Kaunas and Vilnius as the through route (either Suwałki - Kaunas - Vilnius - Riga, or Suwałki - Vilnius - Kaunas - Riga) would lead to a lot of zig-zagging back and forth across Lithuania.

In saying all this, I hope they will add the spur to Vilnius back in at some point in the future, since having direct trains between the capitals would be great.

 

[Tinginys]

First of all, thanks for the interest and replies. I feel that Rail Baltica needs to have more attention in both local and international media and get some scrutiny. Not because it's bad or unnecessary, but because it's too important to fail and Baltic countries can't afford to screw this one up. Even if this is just a forum discussion, it's still very helpful.

Thanks for the detailed update, it always seemed ludicrously optimistic that it would all get done in the announced timescales. I guess the minimum outcome can always be upgraded incrementally, and Phase 1 is still a lot better than what exists now

Yes, indeed. That's why I'm not writing Rail Baltica off just yet, and keenly await completion of the 'Phase 1', even though there is lack of clarity what specifically will be finished by the aspirational deadline of '2030' which, in my view, is likely to be around 2035.

Any sign of any of the 1.5% of GDP assigned to defence "supporting infrastructure" being directed towards Rail Baltica? Even before events in Ukraine, one of its stated purposes was to provide a strategic link to allow reinforcements to reach the Baltics more quickly without the complication of a break of gauge.

Lithuanian and other Baltic politicians as well as mainstream media do keep mentioning Rail Baltica's importance for the defense of the Baltics (duh), but these talks are declarative and do not provide any details, let alone 1.5% of GDP or any kind of actual adjustments in financing or project timeline. I would like to hope that this question will be raised with the EU during discussions about the next round (202 of financing, but I probably won't hold my breath.

Thanks for this extremely insightful post. I've recently travelled to the Baltics by train (from Germany) and visited Latvia and Lithuania (trip report follows). I was quite surprised to see so few infrastructure for Rail baltica actually being built. The timeline seems to be extremely ambitious. Also, the Rail Baltica construction site around Rīga's central station looked a bit sad, in particular due to the new Daugava bridge ending at the embankment of the river with no signs that they are about to extend it (it thought I had a photo of said scene but apparently I don't).

But I did take a photo of the site at Rīga's central station on October 13, 2025.

Southern side of Rīga's central station. One can see the Rail Baltica terminal under construction. The photo prominently features a large space in the foreground on which quite a few people and seagulls are moving. Behind this space, there is an elevated railway line consisting of multiple tracks which is under construction. One can also see platforms being built; a roof spanning the platforms is also under construction. Two cranes are in use on the site.

Waiting for a train at Kaunas railway station, I went to a small exhibition on Rail Baltica which was present at the station. It mostly contained information also available on the Rail Baltica website. But I found one detail on one of the maps quite bemusing: Where is Russia? If this was just a mistake, it would be extremely embarassing. And if it was a deliberate omission, well, that would be dubious as well.


Schematic map of Rail Baltica in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia (Estonia is not visible in full). One can see the three Baltic states and a schematic representation of the railway line passing though the countries. The map does not feature Russia. Instead, the area occupied by Russia is depicted as if it was sea.

Good point about that map in Kaunas lol. Artist who designed this map must have been on something stronger than beer
About Riga central station, keep in mind that it's just half of it. I never though it was possible to build just half of a station but looks like it is. I just hope they don't have any more pauses and do get on with it.

To be clear, I believe the entire station is being reconstructed, with broad gauge tracks to the north and standard to the south.

Technically it's a reconstruction but in practice it's pretty much a whole new station built in place of what seems to be disused and neglected parts of the old station. It seems it's proving a bit too ambitious for Latvia, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that all ands well.

Thank you very much for writing up that detailed update on the project. Much appreciated. This is very interesting to read.

Shelving the Vilnius part is bonkers. I thought one of the major aims of the Rail Baltica project was to link Poland with the three Baltic capitals. The capital city of Lithuania will no longer be part of it. It also means that the second largest city (Kaunas) will get better international connections than the capital city (Vilnius) which seems crazy.

My thoughts exactly. While technically Vilnius branch remains part of 'Phase 2', in practice this means that they have no clue when or even if it will actually get built. Therefore I think it's safe to call it being shelved for all intends and purposes, because if one doesn't have secured financing and/or timelines for a ~2.5bn Eur transport project, then sure as hell it's not happening. I personally think Lithuania is making a huge strategic mistake by not pushing with Vilnius branch at any cost, with or without EU financing. There was some talk about gauge changing equipment (Spanish style, I suppose) being installed in Kaunas to allow trains with variable gauge feature to travel between Vilnius and Warsaw/Riga/Tallinn. While this is doable in principle, it's a bit like trying to polish a turd. This also should be seen in light of how existing 1520 mm Vilnius-Kaunas railway will be used in the future from the capacity perspective. Capacity is not an issue right now due to geopolitical reasons and reduced traffic from Belarus/Russia, but these constraints may very well become relevant again if freight and passenger traffic with Belarus is resumed/increased which is likely to happen sooner or later. Squeezing extra services with variable gauge from Vilnius to Warsaw or Riga/Tallinn alongside all other traffic including Belarus and Russia freight (and possibly passenger services) might prove difficult. These things need a more strategic and long sighted planning and this is what Lithuanian governments (current and past) don't seem to grasp. This puts Rail Baltica in danger and creates a threat and a risk to jeopardise its own capital city's competitiveness and future. Rail Baltica link is way too big of a deal to just effectively shelf it as 'phase 2' without any clear goals. I hope my gloomy outlook is too pessimistic and Vilnius will be connected to RB in the end, but for now things don't look good and I find it alarming that almost noone in Lithuania seems to care.

Surely it would have been more sensible to build a new line to enable direct Poland - Vilnius - Kaunas - Riga - Tallinn trains rather than making Vilnius a branch line. I am sure the route could have been altered and a new line built to make this possible. If the proposed line does get built to Vilnius then it will always get a lower service when it is only a branch rather than part of the main route. It just seems like Vilnius is being forgotten compared to the other capitals.

Crazy as it may sound, Vilnius branch was not even part of Rail Baltica initially, perhaps up until 2014 or so? I don't know how this was even possible, but I guess the same basic stuff like lack of strategic vision, understanding, competence and common sense by the politicians, media and, not least, the wider society. Admittedly, awareness has improved since then and Rail baltica is no longer seen as something that is 'unnecessary' or 'not profitable', but people including journalists and politicians still lack basic awareness in many cases.

If i have understood it correctly it seems like the plan is for Rail Baltica to terminate at Ulemiste in Tallinn instead of the city centre. This seems crazy. This is like terminating HS2 at Willesden Junction instead of at a Central London station. Ulemiste is right next to Tallinn Airport and an Elron broad gauge station but it is not in Tallinn city centre. As a result this means that passengers will have to change at Ulemiste from a standard gauge train to a broad gauge train to get in to the city centre. Why can they not extend it all the way to Tallinn main station.

Not sure why they decided to go for this specific location but I can speculate.
1. Current station is located in a bit of an awkward location between the old town and other densely built up areas that surround it. It would have required significant demolition and rail embankment expansion and upgrades which is not really feasible.
2. Ulemiste is conveniently located near the airport
3. If you look at the map, Ulemiste is located pretty much in the geographical population centre of Tallinn which means it will be fairly convenient to access from most parts of the city, including the centre which will be a couple of tram (or some railway shuttle on existing 1520 mm railay?) stops away. Also areas like Lasnamae and Mustakivi are pretty much next door and this is where most residents of Tallinn actually live.
All in all, I think Ulemiste is a pretty decent compromise which isn't half bad bad.

Thanks for the update! This a rail line that could really be a game changer for the Baltic states, so it's sad to see that it's not doing better.



Extending the standard gauge all the way to the current station (Balti jaam) would be the best, no doubt about that. But having a station at Ülemiste is not that horrible. Passengers can change to a broad gauge train to get to central Tallinn, but they can also change to a tram and for many parts of central Tallinn Ülemiste is not a terrible option.

That's right, while not ideal, Ulemiste location actually makes sense. Expanding the tram line to the East towards Mustakivi would further improve the situation.