13.1.2026 | Estonia

By Train From Tallinn to Riga—a New Afternoon Departure

Text Timo Raussi
Photo Elron / Aron Urb

Elron, which operates passenger rail services in Estonia, yesterday on 12 January launched a daily direct afternoon connection from Tallinn via Tartu to Riga, operated without a change of trains. Since late last year, it has already been possible to travel from Estonia to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius via Riga on a morning departure, which includes one easy train change in the Estonian–Latvian border town of Valga.

“Passenger interest in this route has been high—last year more than 16,000 passengers took advantage of the opportunity to travel by train from Estonia to Latvia and Lithuania or vice versa,” said Märt Ehrenpreis, a member of Elron’s management, during a media trip held ahead of the route’s launch.

From Tallinn, Elron’s train to Riga departs at 14:50, and from Tartu at 17:05. It arrives in Riga at 20:46, making the journey time just under six hours. The service is operated with Stadler Flirt trains familiar from Helsinki’s commuter traffic, which do not offer restaurant services.

Elron does not sell tickets on the new train for passengers travelling only to Tartu or Valga, nor are first-class seat reservations familiar from domestic Estonian services available. As a result, the quick may well beat the slow in securing the more spacious seats when the train opens its doors at Tallinn’s Balti Jaama Station more than 15 minutes before departure. Ticket prices for the Tallinn–Riga route range from €29 to €32, and for Tartu–Riga from €19 to €22, depending on the sales channel—tickets purchased online 1–7 days in advance are cheaper, while those bought from the conductor on board are more expensive.

The morning departure at 10:25 from Tallinn runs on an Elron train as far as Valga. There, passengers transfer to an LTG Link train from Lithuania waiting on the opposite side of the same platform, which also has a restaurant car. The morning train can be reached from Helsinki using the first ferry departing at 7:30, provided the transfer in Tallinn is made without delay using tram line 2 via the harbour. Ride-hailing services Bolt and Uber, as well as taxis, are around five minutes faster for those rushing to catch the train.

The return journey on the new service departs from Riga in the morning at 7:38, arriving in Tallinn at 13:57. At weekends, from Friday to Sunday, it is also possible to travel between the two capitals in the afternoon using two separate trains: by taking Elron’s Tallinn–Valga service from 13:33 to 17:15, and then transferring to a local train operated by Latvian company Vivi. This departs Valga at 17:25 but, due to stops at smaller stations, arrives in Riga only at 20:40—almost the same time as Elron’s direct connection.