Estonia: Tartu-Riga train not funded in state budget strategy

The Estonian government has failed to include a project to open a regular passenger train connection between Tartu and the Latvian capital, Riga, in its long-term budget plans for 2025-2027, ERR reports. The government points to concerns about a competing Latvian proposal that would entail lower costs but less convenient departure times. Nevertheless, the government hopes that the new train connection will become a viable alternative to cars and attract tourists, even if requiring state support. Earlier, the government allocated EUR 300,000 of state budget funds to launch the Tartu-Riga train by October 2024.