ESTONIA: A contract has been awarded for the design and construction of the Vanasadama tramway extension which will connect Tallinn’s Old Harbour with the future Rail Baltica station at Ülemiste.
Valued at €36·5m +VAT, the contract was signed on August 9 by the city’s public works department and a 50:50 joint venture of civil works contractors Merko Ehitus Eesti and KMG Inseneriehituse.
Due for completion in February 2025, the 2·5 km loop through the harbour area and city centre will rejoin the existing network at the intersection of Kivisilla and Gonsiori streets. This will enable trams from the harbour to reach the Rail Baltica station site using the route 4 airport extension completed in 2017.
The line will connect with rail, sea and air gateways to the city, and ‘create fast and convenient connections for all travellers and guests arriving in Tallinn, regardless of the mode of transport’, said Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart. ‘In addition, this project is one stage of a larger vision of the development of the Vanasadama area and the entire urban space.’
Ivo Volkov, Chairman of Merko Ehitus Eesti, said it was a complex project, as ‘the seemingly simple installation of tram tracks requires the reconstruction of a large number of underground services, and a new street space will be built around the tram line.’
- Read more about the expansion of Tallinn’s tram network in the Spring 2021 issue of Metro Report International magazine, available in the digital archive.
