Tallinn–Vilnius newly opened railway service
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th session, information briefing
Date: 2025-01-15 14:55
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 11
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 13m
AI Summaries: 11/11 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The agenda’s focus is a thorough discussion of the newly opened Tallinn–Vilnius rail connection: why this line was opened, how it affects state funding, and what approaches are planned to connect our country with neighboring countries (including Lithuania and Latvia), as well as what interactions there are between all participants during rail operations. Member of the Riigikogu Vladimir Arhipov raised a question regarding the economic and practical aspects, and the discussion highlighted the synchronization of schedules, the duration of transfers, and the potential expansion of future connections.
Furthermore, an additional question was raised concerning Nordica aircraft, which addressed the situation of an aircraft in Vietnam against the background of bankruptcy proceedings and its impact on taxpayer costs and transparency. Minister Vladimir Svet then explained the principles related to the management and sale of the aircraft and promised to mitigate risks through publically accessible procedures and reports, emphasizing the need to coordinate and publish processes within certain limits.
Decisions Made 2
No formal parliamentary decisions were made within the scope of this issue. However, it was emphasized that:
- Coordination of timetables between the three train operators is currently uniformly coordinated and does not require additional significant expenses;
- Plans exist to increase cross-border connections in the future (including the Tallinn–Vilnius route and the Tartu–Riga connection) and to consider cooperation with Lithuania and Latvia;
- The interaction between the Rail Baltic project and existing Baltic States railway routes will be maintained; the connection to Vilnius is a follow-up activity as a prerequisite for Rail Baltic and is seen through the lens of increasing public transport needs.
No specific new expenditures or additional national support measures were implemented regarding the return of Nordica aircraft; to mitigate requirements and risks, transparency and disclosure will be enforced, and further steps will be carried out in accordance with business network and legal proceedings restrictions.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker within the framework of the fifth question was Vladimir Arhipov (a member of the Riigikogu). He posed several clarifying questions on the topic of Tallinn–Vilnius railway traffic and participated in the discussion with speeches; his role is a member of the Riigikogu (a parliamentary political office). Position: other.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Riigikogu member Vladimir Arhipov asks Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Svet about the recently opened Tallinn–Vilnius rail link.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov criticizes the Tallinn–Vilnius rail line PR campaign and asks whether its launch with government support is sensible and whether it is economically necessary, especially in hard times when the bus is faster and cheaper.
Taristuminister Vladimir Svet
AI Summary
Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet said that synchronizing the timetables of Elron, Vivi, and LTG Link did not require additional costs, allows traveling from Tallinn to Vilnius with one transfer in about a quarter of an hour, and is a positive step toward better southern neighbours and the European Union, pointing to the progress of LTG Link's Vilnius–Riga line and the intention to extend it to Valga and, in the future, to also launch a Tartu–Riga train.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and asks Vladimir Arhipov to present a clarifying question.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov notes that this line was built before the launch of Rail Baltica, according to which Rail Baltica was supposed to be launched in 2030, and asks what will become of this line and whether its construction was justified in that case.
Taristuminister Vladimir Svet
AI Summary
Vladimir Svet explained that the Rail Baltica route does not align with the current 1520 mm railways of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and represents a direct access to Europe toward Warsaw, not a connection with Minsk, that it is a matter of coordinated timetables of trains from three (currently three, in the future two) different operators, and the main route goes through Pärnu, which gives Tartu the opportunity to quickly reach a major trunk line in the Riga or Tallinn area (or by bus to Pärnu), while the Vilnius connection in Lithuania remains for the next stage to Kaunas, which is hoped to be developed during the next decade.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanked and gave the floor to Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart for the next speaking turn, asking her to present an additional question.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker accuses Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Svet of presenting to the commission false information about Nordica's plane being brought back from Vietnam, because the latest data show that the aircraft is still in Vietnam and Bamboo does not allow it to leave the country, which is causing ongoing additional costs for taxpayers and casting doubt on the honesty of the authorities and the quality of governance.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairperson clarifies that the fifth question concerns the topic of the recently opened Tallinn–Vilnius rail traffic and gives the minister the option to decide whether to answer it immediately or not, since it is a different topic.
Taristuminister Vladimir Svet
AI Summary
Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Svet told the Riigikogu that the aircraft belonging to the Estonian state have been brought back, and that the Transport Asset Management, which handles their sale, is in control in this regard. The aircraft detained in Vietnam does not belong to Nordica, TVH, or the Estonian state but to a third-party leasing provider, and the commercial dispute relating to this does not affect taxpayers, and the aim is to keep all proceedings as open as possible and to make the reports public, but the disclosure of some information may be restricted due to the court hearing in order to mitigate risks.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
They thank and conclude the handling of today's fifth question.