Having received permission from the European Railway Agency to use three Stadler trains on Latvian railway lines, Elron will begin operating its long-awaited Tartu–Riga train services on January 12.
Three Elron two-car Stadler Flirt diesel trains will operate on the line between Tartu and Latvian capital Riga.
“A minimum of three trains are needed to launch the line in order to ensure regular maintenance of the trains takes place,” said Elron management board member Märt Ehrenpreis.
Elron will start its regular service on the Tallinn–Tartu–Valga–Riga line on January 12, with only one departure per day to begin with. A second direct departure will be added once Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways) has completed infrastructure work and new Škoda trains begin operating on the Tallinn–Tartu line.
Ehrenpreis said that the opening of the line was somewhat hampered by a traffic accident in Saku municipality on November 27, which meant one diesel train will be out of service for at least a year.
Read more: ERR.EE
