Transport in Estonia relies mainly on road and rail networks.
National roads form the core of Estonian road network. Their total length is 16,489 km (or 28% of all roads), 67% of them are paved. [1] They are divided into 4 classes according to importance:
Number | E-road | Route | Length (km) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | E20 | Tallinn – Narva | 211 | expressway for 80 km out of Tallinn and 7 km between Kukruse and Johvi. Continues to Saint Petersburg as Russian A180 |
T2 | E263 | Tallinn – Tartu – Võru – Luhamaa | 291 | expressway for 63 km out of Tallinn and 6 km near Mäo. Crosses Estonia in southeast direction from Tallinn to join national road 7 |
T3 | E264 | Jõhvi – Tartu – Valga | 216 | continues from Valga to Riga as Latvian A3 |
T4 | E67 | Tallinn – Pärnu – Ikla | 193 | expressway for 14 km out of Tallinn continues from Ikla to Riga as Latvian A1 |
T5 | Pärnu – Rakvere – Sõmeru | 184 | from Pärnu via Paide to join national road 1 near Rakvere | |
T6 | Valga – Uulu | 125 | from Pärnu via Kilingi-Nõmme to Valga | |
T7 | E77 | Riga – Pskov | 22 | short section in southeast Estonia via Misso, continues as Russian A212 and Latvian A2 |
T8 | E265 | Tallinn – Paldiski | 49 | via Keila, Keila-Paldiski section is part of E 265, which continues on ferry to Kapellskär |
T9 | Ääsmäe – Haapsalu – Rohuküla | 81 | ferry connection from Rohuküla to Hiiumaa | |
T10 | Risti – Virtsu – Kuivastu – Kuressaare | 144 | ferry between Virtsu and Kuivastu (Muhumaa) | |
T11 | E265 | Tallinn ring road | 38 | |
T92 | Tartu – Viljandi – Kilingi-Nõmme | 130 |
Estonia is the first country in the EU and in the world to introduce a nationwide, publicly serviced charging system for charging the batteries of electric vehicles. [2] The 165 fast charging stations are equipped with connectors of the CHAdeMO standard. They are located throughout the entire country, including the islands, and have a maximum distance of 40–60 km in between. The charging stations can also be navigated via a smartphone app (currently only for Android). The relatively dense network and 30 minute quick charges are built to enable a country-wide electric vehicle network. The system offers a unitary booking service and several different tariffs, some of which appear attractively low priced. [3] The charging station network puts Estonia at the forefront in Europe even though Norway actually has a higher penetration of electric vehicles. Estonia has a rate of 1 electric vehicle per 1,000 capita, whereas Norway has 4 EVs per 1,000 capita. [2]
As of 2023, the Rail Baltica project to link a high speed line through Latvia and Lithuania to Poland, is scheduled for completion in 2030, with a start of services on some of the sections in 2028. [4]
There has been a growing tram network in Tallinn, Estonia since 1888, when traffic was started by horse-powered trams. The first line was electrified on October 28, 1925. The first electric trams were built by Dvigatel, Ltd., in Tallinn before World War II and for some years after that, the last one in 1954. In the 1920s and 1930s gas-powered trams were also used. Since 1955 to 1988 German-built trams were used. In total, there were 20 LOWA T54-B54 trams (in use from February 1955 to March 1977), 11 Gotha T57-B57 (in use from January 1958 to June 1978), 5 Gotha T59E-B59E (in use from June 1960 to February 1980), 14 Gotha T2-62 and B2-62 (in use from 1962 to 1981) and 50 Gotha G4 trams (in use from January 1965 to October 1988) trams. The first Czechoslovakian-built ČKD Tatra T4SU arrived in 1973. The T4SU trams were in use from May 1973 to September 2005 and there were 60 of them. The first KT4SU arrived in Tallinn in 1981 and was first in use on March 10, 1981. In 2007, there are 56 KT4SU, 12 KTNF6 (rebuilt KT4SUs, 10 local, one from Gera and one from Erfurt) and 23 KT4D (12 from Gera, 6 from Cottbus, 1 from Frankfurt (Oder) and 5 from Erfurt) in use. As of 2018, there are four lines: 1 (Kopli-Kadriorg), 2 (Kopli-Ülemiste), 3 (Tondi-Kadriorg) and 4 (Tondi-Lennujaam (Airport)). There have also been lines 5 (Kopli-Vana-Lõuna, shut down in 2004 because of small usage) and 6 (Kopli-Tondi, temporarily used in time of repairs).
Estonia has 45 ports in the State Port Register. With a few exceptions, all of them are on the Baltic Sea.
Largest ports are Muuga (near Tallinn), Tallinn (comprises several ports), Paldiski, Kunda, Pärnu and Sillamäe.
Since 2014, there have been no vessels over 500gt on the Estonian register. About 60 merchant vessels are beneficially owned in Estonia, with most of them registered in Malta. The government has started a drive to bring more of these vessels back into the Estonian register. [5]
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport is the largest airport in Estonia.
Currently operating water transport routes:
Saaremaa(also called Ösel [ˈøːsel] ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435. The main island of the West Estonian archipelago, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare County, is the town of Kuressaare, which in January 2018, had 13,276 inhabitants.
Aegna is an Estonian island in the Bay of Tallinn in the Baltic Sea. Administratively it is part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and is a sub district of the Kesklinn district.
European route E 67 is an E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic to Estonia and by ferry to Finland. It goes via Prague, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki.
Ruhnu is an Estonian island in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Its territory of 11.9 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi) is administratively part of Saare maakond (county). Ruhnu lies geographically closer to the coast of Courland on the mainland of Latvia than it is to any point in the rest of Estonia. With less than 150 official residents, the Ruhnu vald (parish) has the smallest population of Estonia's 79 municipalities. Before 1944, it was for centuries populated by ethnic Swedes and traditional Swedish law was used.
Kihnu is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 16.4 km2 (6.3 sq mi), it is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga and the seventh largest island of Estonia. With a length of 7 km (4.3 mi) and width of 3.3 km (2.1 mi), the island's highest point is 8.9 metres (29.2 ft) above sea level.
The Finnish railway network consists of a total track length of 9,216 km (5,727 mi). The railways are built with a broad 1,524 mm track gauge, of which 3,249 km (2,019 mi) is electrified. Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned enterprise VR that runs services on 7,225 km (4,489 mi) of track. These services cover all major cities and many rural areas, though the coverage is less than the coverage provided by the bus services. Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station, and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki. VR also operates freight services. Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of the Finnish Rail Administration, which is a part of the Finnish Transport Agency. The network consists of six areal centres, that manage the use and maintenance of the routes in co-operation. Cargo yards and large stations may have their own signalling systems.
Ruhnu Parish is a municipality in Saare County, Estonia. It encompasses the island of Ruhnu in the Gulf of Riga, together with a number of uninhabited islets. Its population is the smallest of any of Estonia's 79 municipalities, the parish being exempt from the usual minimum population size of 5000. There are 60 permanent inhabitants during winter time; in summer the number increases to 150. In 2015 the parish council approved Ado Tuuga's designs for the municipality's flag and coat of arms.
Pärnu Airport is an airport in Estonia. The airport is situated 2.4 nautical miles northwest of Pärnu.
Railways with a railway track gauge of 5 ft first appeared in the United Kingdom and the United States. This gauge became commonly known as "Russian gauge", because the government of the Russian Empire chose it in 1843. Former areas and states of the Empire have inherited this standard. However in 1970, Soviet Railways re-defined the gauge as 1,520 mm.
Kilingi-Nõmme is a town in Pärnu County, southwestern Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saarde Parish. It is located on the intersection of Valga–Uulu and Tartu–Viljandi–Kilingi-Nõmme roads, about 11 km (7 mi) from the Estonian border with Latvia.
The rail transport system in Estonia consists of about 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) of railway lines, of which 900 kilometres (560 mi) are currently in public use. The infrastructure of the railway network is mostly owned by the state and is regulated and surveyed by the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority.
Rail Baltica is an under-construction rail infrastructure project that is intended to integrate the Baltic states in the European rail network. Its purpose is to provide passenger and freight service between participating countries and improve rail connections between Central and Northern Europe, specifically the area southeast of the Baltic Sea. It is also intended as a catalyst for building the economic corridor in Northeastern Europe. The project envisages a continuous rail link from Tallinn (Estonia) to Warsaw (Poland), consisting of links via Riga (Latvia), Kaunas, and Vilnius (Lithuania). Its total length in the Baltic States is 870 kilometres (540 mi), with 213 kilometres (132 mi) in Estonia, 265 kilometres (165 mi) in Latvia, and 392 kilometres (244 mi) in Lithuania. Rail Baltica is one of the priority projects of the European Union (EU). It is part of the North Sea–Baltic Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T).
Public transport in Tallinn consists of bus, tram, trolleybus, train, and ferry services. Tallinna Linnatranspordi (TLT) operates bus, tram and trolleybus routes, Elron operates train services, and Spinnaker OÜ operates the ferry service to Aegna Island on the high speed craft Vegtind. Tallinn is the only city in Estonia to have ever used trams or trolleybuses. Use of trolleybuses has decreased since their peak operation in 1988. Since 2024, diesel busses have started to be replaced by compressed gas–powered and battery electric buses.
Estonia mainly uses a track gauge of 1,520 mm or 1,524 mm, inherited from the Russian Empire times.
The history of rail transport in Estonia starts in 1870 when a railway line was opened connecting Paldiski, Tallinn, Tapa and Narva; the line extending all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia.
The Tallinn–Tapa railway is a 77.8-kilometre (48.3 mi) long double track partly electrified railway line in Estonia, connecting the cities of Tallinn and Tapa.
The Tram System of Tallinn is the only tram system in Estonia. Together with the four-route trolleybus network (et), the four tram lines, with a total length of 19.7 km arranged in a roughly cross-shaped layout, provide a backbone for the public transport network in the Estonian capital. All the routes meet up at Hobujaama stop in the city center. Trams are unidirectional, one-sided and single-person operated, and much of the network runs on segregated two-way track.
TS Laevad is an Estonian ferry company which operates two routes between the Estonian mainland and the islands of Hiiumaa and Muhu in the Baltic Sea. Muhu is connected by a causeway to Estonia's largest island, Saaremaa.
Kihnu Veeteed is a ferry company which operates six scheduled routes in Estonia. It is registered on the island of Kihnu in the Gulf of Riga, and runs a fleet of seven passenger ferries.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.