ESTONIA: Commercial operation of Tallinn’s 2·5 km Vanasadam tram route began on the morning of December 1. The line through the city’s old harbour district had been officially inaugurated on November 2, following 18 months of construction.
The new loop line is projected to increase ridership by between 4 500 and 7 000 passengers/day, depending on how rapidly the old harbour district develops.
Tram route 2, running from Kopli in the northwest to Suur-Paala on Peterburi tee in the east, has been rerouted to serve the new section in the city centre. The tramway’s airport branch is currently suspended because of construction work for the new Rail Baltica terminus at Ülemiste, but once this reopens the tram route will provide a direct connection between the terminals for all modes of inter-city transport: air, rail, sea and bus and coach.
Branching west from the existing route at Gionsiori, the new double-track line turns north to a serve stop at Ants Laikmaa before crossing the original tram lines along Narva mnt at right angles. The new route then heads northeast along Hobujaama, crossing Ahtri on an ‘S’-bend to a stop at Laeva. It then skirts around the western and northern sides of the old harbour to reach a stop at Vanasadam, close to the ferry and cruise ship terminals. From here the line loops eastward before heading west to a stop serving Linnahall, a multi-purpose cultural venue, before turning south to rejoin the Kopli route at Suur Rannavarav where the former Linnahall stop has been renamed.
As well as tram infrastructure and relocation of utilities, the city has invested in improving the urban environment and creating a modern streetscape, including a complete reconstruction of the Kaubamaja intersection of Gonsiori and Laikmaa streets, and large-scale cityscaping works in the harbour area. The total value of the project was €55m with partial backing by the EU.
Mayor of Tallinn, Jevgeni Ossinovski, described the scheme as ‘just the first stage in a much longer and more ambitious journey. In the coming years, we will invest more than €100m in the construction of new tram lines and the modernisation of our rolling stock.’
He announced that two further network extensions should be completed by October 2029 with EU funding support. The first would be along Liivalaia Street, where a tram route linking the airport and southern lines would for part of a larger redevelopment with pedestrian and cycle paths. The second would serve the Pelguranna district in the northwest, connecting the Kopli axis with Stroomi Beach via Puhangu Street.
