State-owned train operator Elron faces a decline in passengers on its main route, linking Tallinn to Tartu, while rising ticket prices are making the burgeoning bus travel sector more appealing to customers.
Elron’s passenger decline on the Tallinn-Tartu mainline is deemed by the company to be exceptional and is put down to railroad repairs, according to a company representative.
Elron is being subsidized by the state to the tune of €36.5 million, but faces budget cuts next year.
Company spokesperson Kristo Mäe attributed the drop in passenger numbers to this summer’s closure of the Balti jaam station in Tallinn.
In July 2023, Elron reported its Tallinn-Tartu and Tartu-Tallinn passenger numbers stood at 90,552, compared with 69,370 this July, excluding a few minor routes.
More read: ERR.EE