1.it is not just the gauge, it is the profile that determines how ''wide'' carriages are. And in Scandinavia this is also wider as in West-Eur, where it is also still wider as with you in the UK. All on the normal standard gauge.
2.the old style Russky ''elektrishka'' local trains have 3+3 seats-which are about as wide as the standard UK 2+2-and in fact ''wider'' as the 2+3 commuterstock you have. But the seats as such are old schoolboy style situpandbeg wooden slats. Thus these have all been upgraded in the Baltics, with the cheap off the sehlf one can get-that is busseats. In Ukrayna they still have that old offer from communist times.
3.this ''new feature'' only reached seat61 as it was noted to them, as it was a general new overhaul of about the whole Eestti=Estonian rail system since late '13 with new FLIRT trainsets, electric for the Tallinn suburbans and disel/dizel for the upcountry. Also the whole faresystem was revamped and based on smartcards. One can still pay for singles on board-the only ticketoutlet is in fact in the Tallinn station.
All announced even before on the german DSO=drehscheibe-online Ausland forum.
