Estonia's major railway upgrades halt key routes to Riga and Vilnius

Major railway upgrades in Estonia will disrupt train services from April 13 to 19. Several key routes, including connections to Riga and Vilnius, face cancellations or reduced capacity during this period. Passengers are advised to plan ahead as buses replace trains on some sections.

From April 13 to 16, no trains will run on the Tapa-Aegviidu and Palupera-Puka lines due to infrastructure work. Buses will instead serve passengers on the Tapa-Aegviidu and Tartu-Valga routes. Direct Tallinn-Tartu-Riga services will also be suspended during these dates.

The Tallinn-Tartu-Riga-Vilnius route will only reach Valga from the Latvian side between April 13 and 16. After that, from April 17 to 19, the same service will terminate in Tartu. Travellers heading to Riga must transfer at Valga/Valka to continue by Latvian train or bus, as no direct option exists. During school holidays (April 13-19), overall capacity on Tallinn-Tartu-Riga and Tallinn-Tartu-Riga-Vilnius services will be lower. Elron will not sell tickets for journeys involving bus segments. The last Tallinn-Riga train before the works departs on April 11, with the final Riga-Tallinn service running on April 12. Regular train operations are set to resume on April 20.

The temporary changes aim to complete essential rail improvements. Passengers should check schedules and prepare for bus transfers where trains are unavailable. Full service will return once the upgrades are finished.